Innocent Hearts
by Angelbreed2121
Summary: In 1860's Altseim, two women face the hardship and hard choices of life on the frontier. Based on Radclyffe's novel of the same title. AU NanoFate
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! This is my first publicized NanoFate story and it's based on my favorite novel by Radclyffe!

I hope you enjoy this story!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and its characters, nor do I own this plot since it's directly based on Radclyffe's story of the same title. I just love the story so much and the characters had an uncanny similarity with NanoFate that I had to share this awesome story .. Apologies if I offend anyone.

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**Chapter 1**

Shiro Takamachi halted the wagon on a knoll overlooking a sprawling town that lay nestled in a valley hewn from the eastern reaches of the mountains. He sat forward eagerly, anxious for his first glimpse of their new home.

"There it is, Momoko. Come look, Nanoha. We've finally arrived!" he exclaimed, reaching for his wife's hand. She sat beside him on the rough wagon bench, stiff from the lingering chill of the late spring nights, bundled to the nose in a heavy blanket.

Momoko Takamachi surveyed the scene before her and tried to quell the quick surge of dread. There were perhaps a dozen buildings in all on either side of a rutted dirt road that was clearly 'Main Street'. She shielded her eyes, squinting in the early morning sun to make out other houses scattered along the outskirts of the town and further into the foothills wherever homesteaders had settled.

A young woman pushed between them from the rear of the covered wagon, one gloved hand on each of their shoulders. Despite the chill she was bareheaded and her glossy hair shone in the bright sunlight. "Is that it?" she asked, her voice alight with an echo of her father's enthusiasm. "Are we here?"

"At last, Nanoha," Shiro answered cheerfully. "Altseim."

"I am so glad! I can't wait to meet the Harlaowns! Do you know which is their house?'"

He laughed, delighted by her eagerness. Perhaps he needn't have worried about her after all. He pointed toward the spire-peaked square clapboard building nearest them. "That's the church. Clyde says it was the first building they raised, and next to that the schoolhouse, I imagine. The Harlaowns live somewhere near the center of town. I'm sure that we will have no trouble finding them."

Nanoha did not see the stark simplicity of the town and the wild countryside as something to fear, as her mother did. Like her father, she saw a chance that her life might be more than she had been raised to believe it would be. Nanoha thought about the last year of her life, the year that most girls her age remembered as the most exciting. It had not been for her. She had attended the required coming out parties, and the afternoon socials, and the debutante balls. She had been properly introduced and had made the proper connections. It had been pleasant, but somehow it struck her as frivolous, too. She found the conversations considered appropriate between young ladies and gentlemen tiring and the attentions of would-be suitors tiresome. Perhaps here she would find that there was more to life than that.

She gripped her father's shoulder harder, asking, "And the newspaper office, where you'll be working? That's here, too?"

"One of the very first in the territory," Shiro pronounced proudly, throwing his arms around his wife. "Just think of it!"

His excitement was so boundless, and so simple, that Momoko's heart lifted at the sight of his pleasure. She returned his hug and said softly with more conviction than she felt, "It will be wonderful, darling. I'm sure of it."

As he snapped the reins, the horses surged forward and the wagon jerked into motion. Momoko clutched her husband's arm, remembering how impossible it had all seemed at first. A letter from Shiro's childhood friend Clyde had arrived in Cranagan nearly a year before, extolling the virtues of the unsettled west and the Altseim Territory in particular. Pure air, clear skies, no crowds or stench of factories, he had written. The war that divided the nation was a distant thunder out in the northern territories where any man could claim land just for the tending of it and make his fortune with the sweat of his brow. Clyde Harlaown wanted a partner for his fledgling newspaper, and he wanted Shiro Takamachi to be that man.

* * *

The idea of moving west had been only a wild dream then. True, Shiro had been growing steadily more discontented with his teaching position, and the offer of a partnership on a newspaper had electrified him. With each letter from Clyde, Shiro's interest grew. They had searched the library for a map of the new territory to locate the town that had then been only a name. Momoko quickly smothered her look of horror when she saw the glow in her husband's face.

"But Shiro, isn't it very far away?" she began cautiously. All she could appreciate was a vast open area marked by very little evidence of civilization. What had Shiro said? Most of the settled areas had started out as mining camps during the rush west to find gold.

Shiro had traced the route of the Oregon Trail with his finger, oblivious to his wife's reservations. "Clyde says about four months altogether, and the roads are good all the way into Rigate. Of course, we would have to leave most of the furniture behind- but Momoko! Think of it! It's a brand new country out there, just beginning to grow. With the new policy promising land to any man who lives on it, a whole new world is going to spring up overnight! We could be a part of something grand, and the newspaper would be at the heart of it!"

He was taken with the idea already. His wife recognized the tremor in his voice. She knew he was dissatisfied with the changes in their life that the war and industrialization had brought, but what did they know of frontier living? They who had never been further west than Uminari?

"What about Nanoha?" she had asked quietly, struggling to hide her apprehension. "She is eighteen now and at the age when a girl should be marrying. Can we ask her to simply leave this behind and begin again in a place we know nothing of?"

Momoko would go anywhere her husband chose, because his happiness was hers, but could she ask the same of their daughter? Didn't they owe her more? Who knew what type of men they might find in such an unsettled place. Nanoha was much too refined to become the wife of a shopkeeper, or worse, a farmer!

"Momoko, I don't know how I know, but I feel it would be right for us. We could do as we liked with our lives again. It would be hard for you to give up your friends and the comforts we have here, but we would have friends there, too. There would be so much you and I could share!"His voice was thick with emotion and his eyes grew cloudy. "But Nanoha? You may be right. A young woman like her, giving up all of this - the dances, the parties, the finer things. Perhaps it would be too much of a hardship."

Doubt had crept into his voice, and Momoko could not bear that. She took his large hand into her small one and said with sudden determination, "Nanoha can stay here with my cousin Misato. She is almost of the age when she would be leaving us soon for a husband. Perhaps it will be sooner, that's all." Her calm, strong words comforted him, and he smiled again. Then Shiro and Momoko went together to talk with Nanoha.

"Nanoha, darling," Momoko began, "your father and I have talked at great length about this move west, and we feel that we should go." She glanced at Shiro who was strangely silent and took his hand. "We are not sure what lies ahead, but it will be very different from our life here. We are prepared to leave, but you're a young woman now, and this is the only life you have known. There are many opportunities here, and comforts that you might never have in Altseim. The theater, opera, your friends..." Her voice trailed off and she looked intently at her daughter, who seemed to be struggling not to interrupt.

Nanoha was seated in front of the fire, the flickering light highlighting her elegant features and shimmering waves of long auburn hair. Her hands were folded gently in her lap, but her face was alive with laughter as she glanced from one to the other.

"You two! Do you think I would let you go without me and miss this great adventure? There is nothing I care for enough to keep me here, and no one I care for more than you. I want to come. I feel somehow that this is not where I belong. Perhaps I will not find that so in Altseim."

Her father looked at her with his mouth agape. Surely, there was none more popular nor more accomplished than his daughter! She had many friends and not a few would-be suitors. In addition to her sapphire-eyed, auburn-haired beauty, her wit and intelligence quickly won her acceptance in any circle. Not belong here? Preposterous!

Momoko ignored the excitement, so like Shiro's, in Nanoha's voice. Nanoha had altogether too much of her father's adventurous spirit. Momoko blamed herself for allowing Nanoha to spend so much time with her father as a child and not emphasizing enough that Nanoha needed to prepare for a life as a wife and mother. She had warned Shiro that the college library was no place for a girl to be spending so much time, and although she accepted a young lady's need to read and write, Nanoha spent far too many hours alone with her books. Momoko had finally put her foot down after Shiro had insisted on giving in to Nanoha's demands that he teach her about his photographic pastime. A dark room filled with foul smelling chemicals was no place for a girl, even if Nanoha was a 'natural' at image making, as Shiro so proudly proclaimed. If Nanoha needed something to occupy her time, she could learn needlepoint!

"There are not likely to be the prospects for your future that you would find here," Momoko insisted. She looked to her husband for support, but found none.

Nanoha spoke carefully, because she knew that her mother could insist that she remain behind. "Whether I am here or there, Mother, I will only make a match that feels right in my heart. I do not believe that love is dictated by geography. You know there is no one here for whom I have any attachment."

That was precisely what concerned Momoko most. There had been more than one suitable young man to appear at their door, and Nanoha had received each one politely and had just as politely sent each one on his way. Before Momoko could protest further, Shiro interceded, for in truth, he could not bear the thought of leaving for a new life without his daughter.

"Are you sure, Nanoha?" he asked.

"Quite sure, Father," she answered, feeling the first thrill of new possibility. "Make no mistake – I want to go!"

Once the decision was made, things happened quickly. Shiro resigned from the college and sold their house and most of the furnishings at a good profit. People were moving to the city in great numbers for work in the factories that seemed to have sprung up overnight, and there were plenty of buyers. Momoko donated much of her wardrobe to charities that cared for those who were displaced or left behind by the rapid pace of progress. Silk dresses and finery would be useless in a small frontier town. She purchased simple, sensible traveling clothes for her family. She would not have believed that all of their worldly goods could fit into less than a dozen stout trunks, along with several boxes of books and a wardrobe of her mother's with which she refused to part.

They had left their home before the last graying snows of winter had melted from the streets, planning to follow the warm winds west. Like so many hopeful travelers of the time, they had no idea what truly lay ahead. The first leg of their journey had been by rail to Erusia where the 'regular' railroad service ended, and where most expeditions into the western territories began.

In Erusia, they joined a wagon train, both for safety and to afford company for Momoko and Nanoha, neither of whom had ever been beyond the civilized confines of eastern society. Spring had first overtaken, then threatened to pass them by somewhere along the northern trail through the plains to the newly created Altseim Territory. As they traversed the flat lands toward the eastern slopes of the mountains, the last snows retreated, swelling riverbeds and streams to overflowing, making the last few weeks of their trek arduous for animal and human alike. The journey had been longer than expected, and harsher than they had imagined, but Shiro's unfailing optimism and Nanoha's buoyant sense of anticipation kept all their spirits from flagging. Now, with Cranagan receding into a distant memory, they were about to begin their great adventure.

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A/N: Next chapter will be updated soon~


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Here's chapter 2! I'm going to be honest with you, I already have 6 chapters prepared for this story, hence the quick update XD

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and its characters, nor do I own this plot since it's directly based on Radclyffe's story of the same title. I just love the story so much and the characters had an uncanny similarity with NanoFate that I had to share this awesome story .. Apologies if I offend anyone.

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Chapter 2

Momoko was astounded at their reception. Clyde Harlaown's wife Lindy took them into their home as if they had been long-awaited relatives.

"Chrono! Chrono Harlaown! You carry those bags upstairs while I get these folks something to eat!" she bellowed merrily, while herding the Takamachi family into her living room. She the same height as Momoko, with a birthmark on her forehead and twinkling aquamarine eyes. She had none of the pampered look of the Cranagan matrons Momoko had called friends, and her nearly palpable energy threatened to overwhelm the sedate Momoko.

"Oh no, really," Momoko protested, looking to her husband and daughter for support. "We only stopped to let you know we had arrived. I'm sure Shiro can find us suitable lodging at the -er- hotel."

"Don't you believe it," Lindy responded earnestly, while hastily moving books and papers from the worn couch in the sitting area. "That hotel is sure to be full with cowboys in for the week's end or worse, and no place for you folks to be staying. You'll stay right here with us 'til you get settled! We've plenty of room, and a couple more mouths to feed is no hardship."

Nanoha recognized the look of consternation on her mother's face, and took her arm. "Mother, I think we should accept Mrs. Harlaown's hospitality. It will give Father a chance to talk things over with Mr. Harlaown, too."

"That's right, my dear," Shiro added. "I'm sure that Clyde has suggestions for a place we might acquire."

Lindy nodded. "That he has. Now, I'll get busy heating water because I should think you'll be wanting proper baths along about now."

"Why don't you rest awhile and I'll help Mrs. Harlaown in the kitchen," Nanoha urged. "Perhaps we can make some of that tea we've been saving."

"Right you are child. You come with me," Lindy said with authority and bustled out.

Nanoha followed, as eager for the chance to talk with Lindy Harlaown about the town as she was for the promise of a bath.

Momoko turned to her husband in dismay, "Shiro?"

He looked back good-naturedly and turned his hands up. "I guess it's decided."

It turned out that a few days became a week before Nanoha's father decided upon a house on the southern edge of town. The dwelling was a modest but sound two-story wood structure, and Nanoha was especially pleased that there was a small room adjacent to hers that she might use for her photography. It was a brisk walk to work for Shiro and near enough to the other townspeople for Momoko and Nanoha to socialize. Nanoha knew that he was worried that she and her mother would be lonely. As it was, his concerns were unfounded.

During their stay at the Harlaowns, Momoko and Nanoha were besieged by visitors. Newcomers, especially Easterners, were a rarity, and everyone wanted to meet them. Nanoha enjoyed herself thoroughly and found herself accepting invitations to tea and something on Saturday afternoons called a quilting circle. Momoko found the easy familiarity of the women both captivating and a little unnerving.

"My goodness, they're quite intense, aren't they?" she gasped after one particularly busy morning of entertaining in the Harlaown living room.

"Oh, I think they're wonderful!" Nanoha exclaimed. "I feel so welcome!" She reached for her shawl and bag, adding, "Mother, I asked Chrono to show me the town this afternoon. We've been here for days and I scarcely know what the place looks like. Would you like to come?"

"Not today, darling. I've had quite enough new experiences for one morning, thank you!" Momoko sank wearily to the sofa, sighing with relief.

Laughing, Nanoha leaned over to kiss her lightly on the cheek and said briskly, "All right. I'll be home soon. I promised I'd help Mrs. Harlaown with dinner."

* * *

Chrono Harlaown was twenty-three years old, tall, strong and sturdy. He was more than pleased to be strolling down Main Street with Miss Nanoha Takamachi. He had never seen anyone quite as fetching as she, especially in that dress that was far finer than anything he had seen the girls in town wearing.

"This here is the main street, Miss Nanoha. We've got a general store, right over there next to the livery, and the bank across from that of course. Down yonder is the schoolhouse, and -"

"Wait, Chrono! Just show me as we go, please, or I'll never remember a thing!" Nanoha laughed, pushing back her bonnet to let the sun strike her face. Her mother would disapprove of the effects on her skin, but Nanoha didn't care. She couldn't stand to be hidden away. It was almost the first of June and the air was still crisp and cool, so unlike the muggy early summer days she recalled in the city.

"Oh right, sure," he said, blushing to the roots of his dark blue hair.

By the time they had walked the five blocks to the end of the central thoroughfare, Nanoha knew where women bought their dry goods and sewing materials, where the children went to school, and where the men from the surrounding ranches came to have a drink and spend their wages on a Friday night. Turning back, she was struck with the efficiency and order of the small town. Every need was met, simply and without embellishment. But the street was clean and the board sidewalk sturdy, and all the faces she passed were kind and friendly.

"Let's rest awhile, shall we?" she said suddenly, brushing off a place to sit on the bench in front of the dry goods store. "It's so beautiful today I don't want to go back inside just yet.'

"Why, okay," Chrono said, at a loss for words. He sat down beside her on the bench and stretched his long legs out in front of him. He swallowed audibly several times, but when it became apparent that Nanoha did not require him to converse, he began to relax.

Everything was new to her, right down to the hard packed earth of the street before her. Gone were the cobblestone roads and fine horse-drawn carriages she was used to seeing. These had been replaced by plain board-sided buckboards and heavy draft horses, accustomed to pulling loads of supplies or stubborn stumps, whichever their owners required. The houses, though carefully tended and built to last, were a far cry from the stone townhouses where Nanoha and her friends had lived. Despite the stark utility of the place, Nanoha sensed an air of vitality and vigor she had not noticed in the staid surroundings in which she had grown up. There was a steady stream of ranchers and homesteaders in and out of town loading wagons, men calling to one another as they led horses in and out of the livery, and women passing by on the sidewalks, laden with parcels. She couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement to find herself a part of this strange new world.

She watched another of the young cowboys who had been passing by all morning cross the street to the blacksmith's opposite her. She was coming to recognize the same purposeful gait and easy carriage that all the men seemed to have. Following the tall, lanky form clad in rough denim toward the corral, she was struck by the unusual refinement of the deeply tanned features. As he swept off his hat to wipe a sleeve across his brow, she caught sight of the thick, blond hair held back with a dark tie.

"Oh! My goodness," she cried in a startled voice, "that's a woman!"

"Huh?" Chrono asked, rousing from his reverie. He had been nearly asleep beside her in the warm sun. "Who?"

Nanoha pointed in astonishment, quite forgetting that it was rude. "Right over there."

"Oh - that's just Fate," Chrono said dismissively. "Her stallion threw a shoe this morning and she's coming to get him, I reckon." He finished, as if that settled things.

Nanoha stared openly at the woman who was leaning one booted foot on the lower board of the railing fronting the corral, deep in conversation with the blacksmith. What startled Nanoha even more than her attire was the sidearm holstered neatly against her muscular thigh.

"But she's wearing a gun!" Nanoha cried, amazed. She should have been scandalized, she supposed, but she was simply too surprised to be anything but curious.

"Why, I guess she'd better, riding into town alone, what with the way things are out on the range," Chrono said matter-of-factly. "Settlers are fighting mad about expeditions crossing over their lands on the way to the Oregon gold fields, and my father says the miners are violating the treaties with the Indians, too. People are starting to get riled and the marshal can't be expected to be everywhere, you know," he proclaimed with authority, clearly still echoing the words of his father.

"Yes, but- well, I mean, - who is she?"

Chrono turned to her, confused. "I told you. Name's Fate Testarossa. She has a ranch a few miles out of town. Does right well, too, so everybody says. She doesn't seem to have any trouble selling her horses. I wish I could get one of hers," he finished wistfully.

Nanoha turned to him, eyes full of wonder. "You mean she owns it?"

"Well, I guess so, since her father died a ways back and she's the only one left. I guess she owns it." Nanoha stared at the woman whose features were shadowed now by the wide-brimmed Stetson that she wore. Now that Nanoha looked carefully, she could see that the body was not that of a young man. Fate Testarossa was lean and muscular to be sure, but there was a subtle curve to the hip and slenderness in the arms that betrayed her sex. And under the worn denim of her shirt, sweat-dampened in the back, there was a suggestive swell of breasts. Never in her life had Nanoha seen a woman wear pants, even in the confines of her own home. She continued to stare until she realized that the woman was heading straight toward them, leading a beautiful black stallion. Nanoha quickly averted her gaze despite the fact that she desperately wanted to see Fate up close. The woman would think she had no manners at all, staring at her like a schoolboy!

Nanoha heard the jangle of spurs growing louder, until suddenly it stopped right in front of them. She looked down at the dusty toes of two very well worn boots.

Fate threw the reins over the railing and took the two stairs up to the porch in one long stride.

"Howdy, Fate," Chrono said amiably.

"Afternoon, Chrono," she answered as she stepped into the dry goods store.

Nanoha was surprised at the deep but melodious timbre of her voice. She glanced then at the horse standing quietly before them, taking in the well-ridden but still beautiful saddle engraved with an elegantly tooled FT. Her eyes widened slightly as she noticed the rifle tucked into a case on the right side. She turned to Chrono with another question but stopped when she heard the spurs behind them again.

"Say, Chrono, you can tell your dad I've got that colt down from the high country if he wants to ride out and see him sometime," Fate said as she came through the door on her way out of the store. "Oh, sorry- I didn't mean to be interrupting," she said when she saw that Nanoha had been about to speak.

Nanoha looked up into the most beautiful burgundy eyes she had ever seen. Her glance traveled quickly from the sun bleached hair beneath the brim of the cowboy hat and over the strong cheekbones to a generous mouth and square chin. She dropped her gaze when she saw Fate color slightly and felt her own face flame. What had gotten into her!

"Oh, it's okay, Fate! You're not interrupting," Chrono began, warming to his role as guide. "This here is Miss Nanoha Takamachi, and she's just come from Cranagan. Her dad and mine are going to run the paper together now."

Fate reached up with a slim, long-fingered hand, browned from the sun, and quickly removed her hat. She looked down from what seemed to Nanoha to be a great height and said softly, "I'm pleased to meet you, Miss Takamachi. I'm Fate Testarossa. You picked the right time of year to arrive in Altseim. Spring and summer are mighty fine seasons." She smiled then, and her eyes flashed a gentle welcome.

Nanoha smiled back and held out her hand. "I believe it is easily the most beautiful country that I have ever seen, Miss Testarossa."

Fate took her hand in a firm but careful grip and replied, "Please call me Fate." She held Nanoha's hand for an instant and then stepped back self-consciously. "Well Chrono, you give your dad that message. I'd better be getting along."

"Sure, Fate. See you at the sale."

Nanoha followed the trim line of Fate's back as she went quickly down the stairs and grasped the reins of her horse. Effortlessly, she swung one long leg over the saddle and looked down at Nanoha almost shyly from her mount.

"Good luck to you, Miss Takamachi."

"Thank you, Fate. And please call me Nanoha."

Fate smiled easily and tipped her hat once again.

"Good afternoon then, Chrono. Miss Nanoha." And with that she swung her horse away and spurred her into an easy canter out of town.

Chrono didn't notice Nanoha's quiet concentration as they walked slowly back to the house.

"Ah my, but what would they think of her back in Cranagan," she thought to herself, unable to forget the odd encounter. Nanoha had imagined all manner of new discoveries on the frontier, but she had never dreamed of anything as intriguing as Fate Testarossa.

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A/N: The third chapter will be posted soon. Hope you enjoyed this chapter XD


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and its characters, nor do I own this plot since it's directly based on Radclyffe's story of the same title. I just love the story so much and the characters had an uncanny similarity with NanoFate that I had to share this awesome story .. Apologies if I offend anyone.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Fate turned slowly onto her back and gingerly shook each arm and then each leg. All intact, and no thanks to anything but good fortune. Her hat lay several feet away, where it had fallen when she landed on her face.

"Well, you won that round," she muttered good-naturedly as she looked up at the horse standing quietly over her. She got stiffly to her feet, dusted the dirt from her slightly tender backside, and stroked her long, sensitive nose.

"How can any horse as friendly as you be so hard to ride?"

She had acquired the roan mare in trade several weeks before, and after letting her settle in for a few days, she had saddled her up for the first time. She accepted the saddle and bridle amiably enough, but Fate was no sooner seated than Raising Heart neatly deposited her on the ground. After the shock had passed, she had laughed heartily, thinking that the rancher who had left with two of her stallions might have gotten the better part of the bargain. She would have to remember to invite him to the next big card game so she could even the score.

As the days passed it became apparent that Raising Heart would indeed be a challenge. She greeted her each time she approached with a friendly shake of her head and nuzzled her shoulder, looking for sugar or apples, but she would not let her ride her. This afternoon she had walked her, fully saddled, for almost an hour. She was well mannered and obedient. As casually as possible she pulled her up and mounted her effortlessly. To her great amazement she responded instantly to her touch and walked easily about the corral. She leaned forward to pat her neck and compliment her, which was when she kicked her hind legs and catapulted her over her head.

"That was a nice fall you took there, Fate."

She turned to see her foreman leaning against the fence, watching her with just the hint of a smile. Zafira Wolfram was rawboned and weather beaten, with the ageless face of someone who had lived all his life in the open.

"I'm glad it was you saw that, and not one of the men," she grinned ruefully. "She's a smart one, this Raising Heart."

Had it been anyone other than Zafira who had witnessed her most recent defeat, Fate would have been embarrassed. Zafira, however, had been around as long as she could remember, and she had nothing to hide from him. She was no longer certain whether it had been Zafira or her father who had taught her to ride, break horses, and shoot a gun. In the years since her father's death, Fate had become an able businesswoman and a just boss, but she depended greatly on Zafira's common sense and easy way of handling the men who worked on her ranch. Fate took an active hand in the actual physical running of the ranch, and her presence at roundups, brandings, and auctions was accepted without question. Most of the day-to-day affairs, however, she left to Zafira, whom she trusted completely. Zafira in turn couldn't have been more proud of his own child.

"I've seen them like that before, Fate. Stubborn streak a mile wide. He'll make you a great horse if you can win him."

Laughing, Fate led the mare toward the barn. "I guess my stubborn streak can stand up to hers!"

It was cool in the dark barn and the smell of fresh hay was clean and sweet. Fate removed the tack and gave Raising Heart a brisk rubdown. There was dirt caked on her face and clothes, and a deep scratch across her right cheek. She would ache later when the bruised muscles began to stiffen.

Her blond hair was long, thick and rich, and she wore it pulled back at her neck with a wide black ribbon. She was not vain about her physical appearance, in fact she rarely considered it, and she tied her hair differently than was fashionable because it was practical. She couldn't very well work with it always in her way.

"I was hoping to bring you into town for the roundup to show you off," she admonished Raising Heart as she worked the dust from her coat with a stiff wire brush. "You'll make a great girl and mother fine foals, if you don't turn out to be too wild. People don't want horses they can't ride, you know."

Her voice belied her criticism. Fate admired Raising Heart's spirit, and she wouldn't break her down if she couldn't eventually tame her with her persistence.

"You'll have to sit this one out."

For almost a week, Altseim would be the center of a huge auction where she would put her animals up against those of the best ranches in the territory to buy, sell and trade. It was always an exciting time, and she would be working day and night to improve her stock and collect her profits. Doing well at the roundup was a necessity if her ranch was to survive. She, Zafira, and most of the hands would drive the horses down early on the first morning for weighing and registering. Then Fate would be free to look over the other stock being offered and make arrangements with fellow ranchers for sales or stud services.

Fate had been a part of this process for as long as she could remember. Most of the ranchers had grown used to seeing little Fate at Lucas Testarossa's side every year at roundup, and after Lucas was killed, it was natural for Fate to continue. She had earned a reputation as a good breeder and an honest trader. The fact that she was a woman was somehow never an issue, perhaps because she had always been there. Men who wouldn't let their daughters ride astride found nothing unusual in Fate Testarossa riding herd on her own stock or striking a business deal. Fate was just Fate.

Fate straightened up slowly and grimaced at the ache in her lower back. She stretched her long, slender trunk and slapped the horse's rump.

"Go on, get in there. You can eat now. I'd better get moving or I'll be too stiff to ride in the morning."

Slowly she made her way across the yard toward the sprawling wood and stone house that had always been her home. Her father had built it to last when he had first staked his claim, well before she was born. It was of simple design, with a kitchen, pantry, parlor, and sitting room downstairs. They never entertained anyone other than men who came to do business, and the sitting room had become her father's office. This was the room that Fate preferred.

The heavy leather chairs, gun racks and shelves of books were strangely restful. A sitting room with lace-covered couches and fine glassware would only have made her nervous. She often read for a few hours at night before the fire in her library, choosing from the collection of books that had been her father's. When she made her semi-annual trip into Hilde, the territorial capital, for the supplies she could not get closer to home, she always tried to find something new to add. Her days were full and she was rarely lonely. On the infrequent evenings when a strange melancholy stole over her, she had only to stand on the porch, looking out on the land that sustained her, and she would find her peace.

* * *

"Mr. Harlaown," Nanoha asked as her father and his friend joined the women in the parlor following an after-dinner cigar out on the porch, "tell us about the roundup tomorrow."

After only a month in her new home, Nanoha felt as if she had always lived there. She still had much to learn about everyday life without the comforts that she had been used to, but she viewed each new challenge as a test of her own ability. She looked happy, and she was.

"Humph. Just an excuse for those cowboys to come into town and tear the place up," Lindy grumbled as she reached for her sewing.

Clyde laughed, casting his wife an affectionate glance. "Don't you go listening to Lindy, now, Nanoha. The spring roundup is one of the biggest events in this town. Ranchers and drovers come from hundreds of miles and the place fills up to be sure. The hotel can't handle 'em all, and the saloon, well-" he glanced at his wife. "I guess things do get a little wild at times, but they're a good-natured bunch."

"Heavens, is it safe to go out?" Momoko asked with concern. She pictured hordes of men riding roughshod through the streets.

"Now, Momoko," Shiro began, aware that his wife still found the rough western ways unsettling.

"It's not like it used to be, Momoko," Clyde replied kindly. "The whole town gets involved. There'll be a big celebration the last day of the auction, over at the church. Most of the women prepare food and there's a dance. My Lindy is known for her pies over the whole territory!"

Lindy blushed and shushed him.

"I am so looking forward to it," Nanoha said with real enthusiasm. This certainly sounded much more interesting than the afternoons she recalled, sitting in a somber parlor discussing topics of no consequence with would-be suitors who didn't appear to care what her thoughts might be. She was relieved to have left that behind, if only temporarily.

"Will all the ranchers be there?" Nanoha continued, thinking about one rancher in particular. As different as the young women of Altseim might be from Nanoha's friends in Cranagan, in one way they were very much the same. They still spent their lives learning to be wives. Nanoha appreciated the way these women toiled so their families might survive in a harsh, unforgiving land, but, as she dutifully spent time with Lindy Harlaown learning how to preserve meat without ice or the best way to fashion pillow slips from old dresses, she thought about Fate Testarossa. Fate owned property and went about town doing business unescorted, a possibility Nanoha had never even conceived of. The quiet, self- possessed rancher was unlike any other woman Nanoha had ever met, and she wanted to see her again.

"Every rancher in the territory will be here," Clyde confirmed.

Nanoha looked to her father. "I'd like to watch the auction tomorrow. Where will it be?"

"I guess it's safe enough, isn't it?" Shiro asked of Clyde.

Clyde nodded. "Why of course, Nanoha. I'll have Chrono take you over in the morning to see where the stock will be corralled. Some of the nearby ranchers will be here by then."

Nanoha smiled slightly. "That's just what I was hoping."

* * *

A/N: I did mention that I had chapters prepared so here's chapter 3. The next chapter will be posted probably tomorrow or the day after.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and its characters, nor do I own this plot since it's directly based on Radclyffe's story of the same title. I just love the story so much and the characters had an uncanny similarity with NanoFate that I had to share this awesome story .. Apologies if I offend anyone.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Chrono grunted slightly as he shifted the heavy cases he carried in both hands.

"Father didn't say you'd be wanting to tote half the house out here with us," he grumbled good-humoredly. It was a common sight to see young Chrono Harlaown escorting the pretty Takamachi girl about town.

Nanoha laughed and looked up at him fondly. "Oh Chrono! How could I miss this opportunity to make photographs?"

He had seen traveling photographers, and his father had several examples of their craft hanging in the newspaper office, but he had never seen one made. He had also never seen a woman do anything of the kind. Secretly he was astonished that Nanoha could make those pictures he had seen at the Takamachi house. Nanoha tried to explain the process to him, saying it was quite simple, but he could not grasp it. The mystery of it only served to elevate Nanoha in his eyes.

"Are you sure about all this?" he asked a bit suspiciously. In one of the cases he could hear liquid sloshing.

"Yes," she assured him. "This was my father's equipment, and I've helped him make photographs since I was a little girl. He grew tired of it, but I never have. It was the one thing I would not leave behind!" She looked around her at the sharply rising hills and the expanse of endless sky, and thought that she had never seen country more beautiful. "I can't wait to capture just a little of this on the plates."

"Humph. Just a roundup, like all the others," he complained, but he thought himself the most fortunate man in town and would gladly have carried the damn cases all day. "Say, why we don't go over under those trees. You can see the auction stand and the corrals across the yard."

Nanoha nodded her approval. Already she was amazed at the number of people filling the street. There was a contagious excitement in the air borne on the sounds of men shouting and agitated livestock snorting and whinnying. She was captivated by the sight of the large animals milling about in the pens, huge masses of restless power. The immediacy and urgency of life in this untamed place was thrilling.

The cowboys who tended the corrals leaned up against fences or trees, talking quietly in groups, sharing a smoke. They certainly didn't look like a wild bunch to Nanoha. She exposed several plates, anxious to depict the anticipation of the waiting stands before the auction began. It was a time- consuming process because she had to fix the wet plates almost immediately or the surface would dry and lose the image she had so carefully sought. She was just about to expose her last plate when she heard Chrono at her elbow.

"Miss Nanoha, you'd better let me get that contraption out of here," he said urgently. "There's a herd coming this way and you're going to be mighty close."

"Just fifteen more seconds, Chrono," Nanoha answered calmly. This was a good exposure, perhaps the best that morning, and she was not going to ruin it. It took her nearly an hour to prepare the mixture of egg precipitate and chemicals that coated the plates, and longer still to develop each one into a finished image.

"Please, Miss Nanoha!" Chrono shouted, tugging at her sleeve.

Nanoha heard muffled shouts to her right and felt the tremble in her camera support as thundering hoof beats approached.

"Three, two, one .." she whispered, closing the shutter and lifting the cloth from her shoulders.

"Oh!" she cried, grasping Chrono's arm in stunned alarm. Not twenty feet away dozens of horses were streaming into an open pen as cowboys rode back and forth along the outskirts of the herd, trying to direct the fast moving animals into the corrals. Men surrounded her, shouting and waving their hats. A haze of dust billowed upward, engulfing her, and Nanoha stumbled backwards to the shelter of the trees, coughing and wiping dirt from her eves. Chrono had the presence of mind to drag her camera back with him. He shouted something to her, but his words were lost in the uproar of bellowing men and rampaging horses.

Through eyes streaming with tears, Nanoha made out a dozen men herding the stragglers into the pen. The leader of the group leaned down from his saddle to swing the corral gate shut. With a quick flick of the horse's head, he turned toward Nanoha and Chrono at a gallop. Nanoha drew a little closer to Chrono as the horse and rider drew down upon them, kicking up clouds of dirt anew. Nanoha was sure that they were about to be trampled. When the charging horse was only feet away, or so it seemed to Nanoha, she saw the rider rise up out of the seat and dismount on the run.

Before Nanoha could catch her breath, the cowboy, caked in dirt from head to toe, grabbed Chrono by the shirtfront.

"Damn it, Chrono! What's got into you, letting her get that close to the pens! If a stray got loose from that bunch, it could have run her down. I've a good mind to throw you into that corral over there and let my horses stomp some sense into you!"

Fate Testarossa was so mad she couldn't see straight. It was only because Chrono was a boy she liked that she didn't do more than shake him. She forced herself to let him go, turning to ask Nanoha, "Are you all right, Miss Nanoha?"

Fate's heart was still pounding with the sudden surge of panic she had experienced seeing Nanoha in the road as she led her herd down the main street into town. Already the horses in the lead had begun to spread out across the entire width of the road, and Fate barely had time to direct the wranglers between Nanoha and the galloping horses. Another minute and Nanoha would have been under their hooves. Nanoha stared open-mouthed at Fate. Fate's face was streaked with dirt and there was an angry welt running across her right cheek. Her shirt was plastered to her chest with sweat. She stood with her hands curled around the wide black holster, her long legs planted a little apart. Nanoha thought Fate's hands trembled as they clenched the leather.

"It wasn't his fault," Nanoha croaked, her throat parched and sore from the dust.

Fate finally remembered to sweep off her hat, and she forced a smile through her anger. "Now there you're wrong, Miss Takamachi. It is right well his fault. He should have looked after you, being a newcomer. He knows what to expect around here on roundup day."

Chrono nodded his head abashedly, having forgotten his initial scare when Fate had grabbed him. He'd thought for a minute there he was in for a whoopping, not that he didn't deserve it. "You're right, Fate. She could have gotten..."

"Now just one minute," Nanoha returned hotly, her sapphire eyes blazing. "I am not a helpless child, you know. I have two legs, and I could have moved if I wanted to! I certainly do not need either one of you deciding where I should stand."

Fate and Chrono stared at her wordlessly and Nanoha stared back, her face flushed. She saw a grin begin to flicker across Fate's fine mouth and Nanoha's anger slowly ebbed. Then Fate tilted her head back and began to laugh, and, after a second, Nanoha joined her. Chrono gaped at them as if they had both taken leave of their senses.

Fate's tense body relaxed and she smiled down at Nanoha. "What was that thing you had out there anyhow?"

"A camera. I was trying to capture the feeling of this whole thing," Nanoha answered, taking in the street and the corrals with a sweep of her arm.

"Well, you almost got more of a feel for it than you bargained on, Miss Takamachi."

"Nanoha," Nanoha softly said.

Fate looked at her intently, her eyes sparkling. "Nanoha."

Nanoha studied Fate with a worried expression. "You've hurt yourself."

"What?" Fate replied, confused.

Nanoha's soft hand brushed gently across Fate's face, touching the swollen cheek.

Fate blushed and turned her head away. "Oh, that's nothing. I've been having a running battle with a new mare I've had the misfortune of acquiring. She and I don't see eye to eye on which one of us is the boss just yet."

"I find that hard to believe," Nanoha answered steadily, her blue eyes fixed on Fate's face. Fate struck her as the most capable woman she could imagine.

Fate wasn't sure why Nanoha's words stirred a flutter in her chest, but she cleared her throat and turned to Chrono. "I've got to see to my horses, Chrono. You make sure you take care of Nanoha, now."

"I will, Fate," Chrono mumbled contritely.

Nanoha placed her hand lightly on Fate's sleeve and said boldly, "Would you show me your animals later?"

Fate's body tensed. Damn if her arm didn't shake where Nanoha touched her! "Well, they're just horses, you know. Nothing special."

"Yes, but I'd like to see them," Nanoha insisted. She did want to know more about the roundup, but mostly she wanted an excuse to see more of this tough but strangely gentle woman.

"All right then," Fate relented, surprised by Nanoha's request. It wasn't the sort of thing most women took a liking to. "I'll be busy most of the morning with the weighing. If you're here this afternoon, I'll be happy to show you."

Nanoha smiled softly. "I'll be here."

Nanoha watched as Fate mounted and rode quickly back to the corral, calling to her men as she went. Nanoha thought she was quite the most dashing figure of a cowboy.

* * *

A/N: Posting this with a really bad hang-over. Next chapter will be posted soon. I'm gonna start writing it as soon as my hang-over passes

x.x ugh


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and its characters, nor do I own this plot since it's directly based on Radclyffe's story of the same title. I just love the story so much and the characters had an uncanny similarity with NanoFate that I had to share this awesome story .. Apologies if I offend anyone.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Fate was busy working the rest of the morning in a makeshift shed by the auction stands, registering her stock and seeing to the hands. She paid them their wages, knowing full well that they'd likely spend a large share of it during the next week. Most of them would come straggling back to the ranch when their money was gone, ready to sign on for another year. A few would answer the call of wanderlust, eager to discover what was over the next mountain ridge, and never pass this way again. Their life was a hard one, and she didn't begrudge them their pleasures. She enjoyed a good hand of cards herself and more often than not came away a winner. It was no secret that the saloon offered more than gaming tables and good whiskey, too. Everyone in town knew that the women who lived upstairs in the hotel earned their living by befriending the cowboys who passed through. It was as much a part of life as anything else, and Fate accepted that as uncritically as her men accepted her.

"Don't spend it all tonight, Vice," she said as she handed the draft to her lead trail man. "No, Ma'am!" he exclaimed, grinning sheepishly.

"You make sure the boys don't cause trouble this week. I don't want it said the Testarossa boys are a wild bunch."

"I'll see to it, Miss Fate," the big man replied earnestly. There were some transients among their group, but most had been with Fate through more than one roundup, and all of them were proud to work for her. She was fair and paid top wages. Her ability to rope and ride with the best of them had earned her their respect and loyalty.

"You can tell the boys the week is theirs, but I expect you all to ride out of here with me come next Monday," she said, pushing her chair back from the rickety wooden table and gathering her account papers.

Vice grinned down at her. "They'll be pleased to hear that, ma'am. It's been a long time between roundups.

Fate sighed, running a weary hand over her face. "I know it, Vice. But we've a fine herd to show for it, and I'm right pleased with all of you."

Vice flushed, happy with the compliment. He tipped his hat and turned to leave, almost bumping into Nanoha.

"Sorry, Miss," he said as he walked away.

Nanoha approached the table, smiling at Fate. "Am I early?"

Fate smiled back, folding her papers and slipping them into saddlebag by her side. Standing, she rubbed her face again ruefully and laughed.

"No, I've just finished. If you'll give me a bit, I'll get washed up. I feel like one of my horses just now - rode hard and put up wet."

Nanoha stared at her, struggling for the meaning of the expression, but one at look at Fate told the story. She was still dusty from the trail, and there were circles shadowing her burgundy eyes. She was clearly exhausted.

"How long has it been since you've been to bed?"

Fate shrugged. "It takes the better part of a month to get the herd down from the high country where they winter, then foal in the spring. Always stragglers getting lost up some canyon or other. It takes every able body on the ranch to bring them in. Not many of us slept more than a few hours in a row for a while."

"We could do this another time," Nanoha offered, trying to hide her disappointment. She had hurried through dinner preparations with her mother so that she might have the rest of the day free to spend with Fate.

"Oh, no," Fate laughed again. "No way am I going to be tucked abed somewhere when I could be making a deal, or," she finished shyly, "taking a walk for no other reason than the fun of it."

Nanoha blushed, unaccountably pleased. "Are you staying at the hotel then?"

"Yes. Most everybody's got a room there for a week," she said as they turned toward town. She glanced at the clear blue sky, aware for the first time what an unusually fine day it was. "I won't be long. Where do you want me to meet you?"

"I'll walk you to the hotel, if you don't mind," Nanoha replied, suddenly afraid that Fate might change her mind after all.

"I'd enjoy the company," Fate said quietly, surprised that it was true. She was used to going long stretches without talking to anyone, except maybe Zafira about some problem at the ranch. The idea of walking in the warm afternoon sun with Nanoha seemed more than pleasant. "You folks all settled?"

"I'm not sure that I'd call it settled," Nanoha said with a laugh as they strolled through the town toward the hotel, which was clearly the center of activity. "My father is quite beside himself with pleasure, but it's hard for my mother. The simple things we took for granted, like household items and ready- made clothes, are rarities here. Lindy Harlaown has been a great help, and I think I'm beginning to master the basics, but it's much different than I expected."

Fate had never given such things much thought. Life at the ranch was simple. What they couldn't buy in the way of tools or goods, they made or went without. She didn't need more than the clothes she worked in. Game was plentiful on the range, and enough of her neighbors farmed that she could buy food staples for herself and her men locally. "I imagine it feels pretty uncivilized out here to you," she mused.

"No," Nanoha replied quietly, "it feels free."

Cowboys in groups and pairs straggled in and out of the saloon on the first floor of the hotel, shouting to friends they had not seen for months. Many waved or called to Fate, who nodded back. Piano music floated through the open doors, providing a festive background to the general cacophony.

"There's a stairway around back here," Fate said, leading the way down the narrow alley between the hotel and the land office. "That's no place for you in there."

"And you?" Nanoha questioned, amused at Fate's protective attitude, but touched by it, too.

"Oh, that's different. I've ridden with most of those men, and played cards with more than a few," she replied straightforwardly. "Had to carry a couple of 'em home on more than one occasion. But no lady would want to go in there. Roundup time is a little crazy."

"I see," Nanoha said gravely.

Fate caught the faint mocking tone in Nanoha's voice and saw the shadow of a smile flicker across Nanoha's smooth features. "Sorry. Don't mean to be preaching at you."

Nanoha laughed in turn. "Come on, let's get you upstairs."

They climbed the outside wooden steps to the second floor and walked down the hallway to Fate's room. A plain bedstead held a narrow mattress, a single bureau stood against one wall with a pitcher and basin on the top, and a threadbare braid rug covered part of the floor. Nanoha drew the only chair up to the window so Fate would have a good view of the activities below.

"I'll just be a minute. I want to wash the dust off my face and get into some pants that don't stand up by themselves."

Nanoha watched as Fate unbuckled the heavy gun strapped to her thigh and laid it casually on the bed, stripping off the leather chaps she wore over her pants as well.

"Is that what you call a six-shooter?" Nanoha asked.

Fate looked over at her, poised with one foot up to pull off her boots. "Most sidearms nowadays hold six bullets in the chamber. They vary a bit depending on the caliber of the bullets. That's a Colt forty-five. All the Army carries them. They call it a 'peacemaker', but I suspect they're foolin' about that."

"Oh, I see," Nanoha said, catching the sarcasm in the way Fate said 'Army'.

"I guess you don't see many back East," Fate said quietly.

"Have you ever been East?" Nanoha turned her chair from the window, finding nothing in the streets below that interested her as much as Fate.

Fate walked to the sideboard and poured a basin of water.

"My father said my mother would have wanted me to go for more schooling," she said, splashing her face, then dousing her head. Fate reached blindly for a towel and covered her face. "I hated the idea,but I was supposed to go when I was seventeen. My father was stubborn on that point."

"But you didn't?" Nanoha asked with interest.

Fate stiffened slightly as she opened the valise at the end of the bed. As she pulled clean but faded denim pants and an embroidered shirt from the case, she answered softly, "My father died in a stampede. I had to run the ranch."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Fate," Nanoha cried quickly.

Fate shook her head. "It's all right. That sort of thing happens out here."

Nanoha heard the edge of pain in her voice, but said nothing. She couldn't imagine losing her father so tragically, and she knew how much it must have hurt. Nanoha didn't think that Fate could be that much older than herself, and she marveled at her composure, thinking that she had rarely met anyone more self-assured.

Nanoha stared as Fate turned away and slipped off her shirt and pants. Nanoha caught her breath, surprised by the thin cotton undershirt Fate wore in place of a corset and alarmed by the large bruise covering her left thigh.

"You're hurt!" she exclaimed without thinking.

Fate turned, reaching for her clean pants, clearly surprised. She saw the direction of Nanoha's gaze and looked down. She laughed. "Oh, that. Pretty sorry excuse for a rancher, huh? Just a little present from that mare of mine." She pulled up her pants and tucked in her shirt.

Nanoha was struck by the easy way Fate moved and the sinewy strength of her limbs. She found her heart racing and looked away, confused by the sudden fluttering in her stomach.

"You must find this town a great disappointment after Cranagan," Fate continued, unaware of Nanoha's discomfort.

"Oh no, I love it!" Nanoha cried. "Life is so different here, and there is so much to learn! Besides, there is no one like you in Cranagan..." She blushed suddenly, embarrassed by her forward remark.

Fate laughed, and reached for her holster. "I don't imagine I'd fit in too well back there!"

"No," Nanoha said softly. "No, you wouldn't. I'm glad you aren't there."

Fate stared at her intently, held by the quiet intensity in her voice. Nanoha seemed quite unlike the shy young women Fate had gone to school with in Altseim. Despite her sophistication, Nanoha was easy to talk to, something Fate was surprised to discover she enjoyed.

"I'm glad I'm not there either," Fate said with a grin, pulling on her worn leather boots. "It will take some getting used to, but I hope you'll be happy here, Nanoha."

"I feel like this is where I belong," Nanoha answered, never meaning it more than she did in that moment. Fate laughed and stretched, feeling wonderful all of a sudden. Her fatigue had magically vanished.

"Do you still want to see those horses of mine?"

"Oh yes!"

"Come on, then," Fate said, reaching for her hand, taking it gently. "Dark comes early this time of year."

Nanoha was surprised by Fate's careful strength and the utter tenderness of her touch. Unexpectedly quite unable to move, Nanoha sat staring up at Fate, whose eyes suddenly grew dark. A pulse beat visibly in Fate's neck, just above the collar of her shirt. Nanoha felt her own heart beat hard against the inside of her chest. For a moment neither of them spoke. Nanoha swallowed, aware of the faint tremor in Fate's fingers that matched her own.

"Yes," Nanoha whispered as they both drew shyly away at the same time. She rose, trying to ignore the slight unsteadiness in her limbs. "We should go."

* * *

A/N: I really thank you all for your reviews and wishing me well as I get over my hang-over. All I did was drown myself with spicy soup and I'm well enough to write this chap XD, so as thanks, I've posted this new chapter =D. The next one will be posted sometime this week. I have a very important exam to finish so I won't have time to write for a few days.

Repost: Changed a few mistakes. Sorry about that, I'll be sure to double check next time ..


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and its characters, nor do I own this plot since it's directly based on Radclyffe's story of the same title. I just love the story so much and the characters had an uncanny similarity with NanoFate that I had to share this awesome story .. Apologies if I offend anyone.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Nanoha and Fate spent the rest of the afternoon wandering about the auction pens. Fate pointed out her herd and explained some of their history to Nanoha.

"Our stock is pure Appaloosa – plains native bred - with a little wild mustang thrown in to make 'em tough. My father was one of the first ranchers in this area. He was on his way to the Rigate territory with all the other fools looking for gold when my mother convinced him that land was where the real value lay, or so he told it." Fate leaned a foot up on the rail and dangled her forearms over the top of the corral, watching one particularly frisky colt kick up his heels.

"Back then the Natives and the settlers got along pretty well, before the Natives started getting crowded out of their land. They traded freely with the first settlers, including bartering their horses for supplies that the expeditions brought. My father found himself a couple of hands as crazy as him, and he started chasing down the wild horses to build our line. There were no reservations on the northern plains either. As long as he stayed clear of the Native hunting grounds, there wasn't any problem." She frowned. "All the problems started when the damn TSAB started telling the Natives where they had to live."

Fate looked quickly at Nanoha. "Sorry for the cussing, Nanoha."

Nanoha shook her head. "I won't faint from a word, Fate."

Nanoha had heard of the 'Native troubles', but until then it had seemed very much like the war with the Shutrans. Something that didn't really affect her. Suddenly, it seemed much more important. Questions tumbled out one after the other, and they didn't notice the sun starting to set until a brisk breeze caused Nanoha to shiver slightly and pull her shawl tightly about her.

Fate looked up at the sky, amazed that she had lost track of time. That was something she never did. "Lord, Nanoha. It's 'most suppertime! You should be getting back."

Nanoha shook her head in protest. "Oh no! There's so much I want to know! Plus," she added impulsively, "I'm having too much fun!"

Fate laughed, twirling her hat between her long, graceful fingers. "So am I, but won't your parents worry?"

Nanoha sighed. "Probably, despite the fact that I'm eighteen and quite capable of looking after myself."

"I expect you are," Fate said seriously, "but this isn't Cranagan, Nanoha. Young women can't be out wandering after dark. I'll take you home."

"And I suppose you're quite safe?" Nanoha retorted, a storm threatening in her sapphire eyes. She would not have Fate thinking of her as a child!

Fate stared at her, confused by her sudden anger. "Nanoha," she said softly, "I'm not like you. There isn't a man in this town who would try to take advantage of me."

Nanoha blushed, understanding her meaning, and feeling foolish for not realizing that Fate had only been thinking of her safety. It had nothing to do with her age, and much more to do with the gun on Fate's thigh.

"I'm sorry," Nanoha said swiftly.

Fate shook her head. "No need. Now let's get you home. Where is it?"

"At the other end of town, near the south fork."

Walking through town, they passed townspeople making their way home and cowboys lounging on the sidewalks. With Fate striding confidently beside her, Nanoha realized that she had never felt so free, and yet so secure.

As they approached the gate in front of Nanoha's home, Fate stopped. "I'll say goodnight now, Nanoha," Fate said quietly.

"Come in for supper, please," Nanoha said suddenly, placing her hand on Fate's arm. "It's the least I can do after you walked all this way."

Fate looked away, uncomfortable. "No, thank you, Nanoha. I've got to check on the stock anyhow. You go on in."

Nanoha frowned slightly and faced Fate squarely. "I had a wonderful time, Fate. Thank you."

Fate smiled, her eyes meeting Nanoha's. "No need to thank me for something I enjoyed more than anything I can recall in a long time."

It was Nanoha's turn to smile. She stood on the porch for long minutes until Fate's retreating form blended into the night.

* * *

"Nanoha Takamachi!" Momoko cried as Nanoha came breathlessly through the door.

"Where have you been? It's late and we were worried sick!" She grabbed Nanoha by the shoulders and peered at her intently. "I was about to send your father out to search for you!"

"For heaven's sake, Momoko," Shiro exclaimed. "Let the girl talk!"

"I was down at the auction grounds, you knew that," Nanoha answered, her thoughts still on her afternoon with Fate. "And it's not even dark yet!"

"I know I've said this is a safe town, but this week especially," Shiro began gently, "it's not safe for a young girl out alone at this hour."

"I was not alone," Nanoha replied, more forcefully than she had intended.

"And who was that young man who brought you home?" Momoko queried archly.

Nanoha flushed a deep scarlet, her sapphire eyes flashing against her pale skin. For a moment she was too angry to speak.

"That was not a young man," she cried indignantly. "That was Fate Testarossa. She's a rancher from north of town!" Uncertain why, Nanoha felt instantly protective of Fate. Silly, because if anyone didn't need protecting, it was Fate Testarossa. Still, she faced her mother with a defiant glint in her eye.

"A woman!" Momoko cried, appalled.

Shiro relaxed perceptibly and chuckled. "Nanoha couldn't have been with anyone safer, my dear. Fate Testarossa is an extremely capable young woman. I met her at the newspaper office some weeks ago. As Nanoha said, she runs a ranch - apparently quite successfully. She's bright and has a sound head on her shoulders."

Momoko turned from her daughter to husband, a shocked expression on her face. "I saw this young woman, Shiro, and it's a-a-a disgrace. She was wearing pants!"

"Well goodness, Momoko. This isn't Cranagan. You could hardly expect her to tend her herd in a dress!" Shiro replied easily. "Out here women dress more practically."

"Practically!" Momoko, who even now would not consider wearing the popular bloomer, was scandalized. She looked with concern at Nanoha, who continued to look rebellious. "I hope this isn't the kind of thing that you find admirable. No decent woman would be found dressed like that in public. And I do believe she was wearing a gun!"

"It's actually a Colt .45 peacemaker, Mother," Nanoha announced, dropping her shawl on a chair and walking to her father. She took his arm, avoiding her mother's astounded glance. "Shall we have dinner?"

* * *

Fate awakened shortly after nine that night, ravenous. After checking her stock she'd returned to her room and stretched out on the bed, meaning only to close her eyes for a moment. She'd thought back to the afternoon and the pleasure she had drawn from Nanoha's company. With the memory of Nanoha's quick smile playing through her mind, she had drifted off to sleep.

Once awake, she washed quickly, threw on a leather vest over her shirt, and went in search of food. She was in the mood for a thick steak and some fried potatoes. She ate alone in the nearly deserted hotel dining room and then ambled into the saloon. The din of male voices was considerable and the air ripe with the odor of horses, well-worked men, and rivers of whiskey. She pushed her way through the crowd to the end of the bar, away from the bulk of the cowboys and the occasional dancehall girl.

"Evening, Zest. Guess business is good, huh?" she greeted the bartender.

"Fate Testarossa!" shouted a burly man behind the long, scarred bar. "Good to see you. Yep, there's quite a bunch here tonight. Can I get you something?"

"I think a brandy, Zest," she replied, fishing a coin from her levis.

She turned, drink in hand, to watch the room, tipping her glass now and then when someone called a greeting. Those who didn't know her personally had heard of her from others. She did not feel strange in the room full of men, because, in many ways, she was like them. She lived and worked on the same land as they, and sweated the same on a hard day's ride, and bled just as easily when a horse kicked a stone her way or a jerked rope burned a raw gash across her palm. She gave it no more thought than she did what the next day would bring. She was a rancher; that was her life.

A man moved close to her in the press of bodies growing denser near the bar. "Cards, Fate?"

Fate turned toward the voice, her face lighting with pleasure. "Tiida Lanster! How are you? And how are things at your ranch?

The tall, hazel-haired cowboy grinned with pride. "I brought my first herd down today, Fate, and they're a fine bunch. Hope you take a look at them tomorrow." Tiida had been with her father before Lucian Testarossa's death and had stayed on after Fate took over the ranch. When he had a chance to buy into a spread nearby, Fate had willingly backed him. She had not been wrong. Tiida owned the ranch now and was doing well.

"I'll do that, Tiida. I've been looking for a few new stallions. Did I hear you say cards?"

Tiida laughed, pointing to a table at one side of the room where four men sat dealing cards. "We've been waiting for an easy mark," he teased.

Fate laughed, her eyes twinkling. "Haven't you got enough there already?"

* * *

Well after midnight, Fate pushed her chair back and tossed her cards down. "That's it, boys. If I stay any longer I'll be selling next year's herd!"

Several men laughed, knowing that if anything she was slightly ahead. As she rose from the table a soft voice at her elbow murmured, "Hello, Lightning."

Fate turned, her gaze falling on a woman with shoulder-length blond hair that cascaded thickly over bare, milk- pale shoulders. Her dress was emerald green, low cut and close fitting, with a constraining bodice that boldly lifted her breasts to the verge of immodesty and beyond.

"Why, hello Shamal," Fate replied warmly. "I'm about ready to turn in, but would you like to have a brandy with me first? You can catch me up on all the news."

Shamal gave a deep-throated chuckle and rested her well-kept hand against Fate's sturdy shoulder. "You can have a brandy, Lightning. I'll have a whiskey, thanks!"

Fate smiled and made a path for them to the bar. As she placed Shamal's drink down, Fate tried to recall the first time they had met. It must have been her first roundup after her father had died. She had been barely eighteen and had come looking for Zafira in the saloon one night when their best brood mare had gone down with colic out in the stockyard. The saloon had been more crowded than ever, and as she searched the room for her men, a big, burly Shutran, a stranger, had grabbed her roughly from behind.

"Now looky here, will you, boys? Just take a gander at what wandered in. Isn't she a fine one, though, and wearing a sidearm, too!" He'd laughed drunkenly and pulled her hat off, one hand under her chin, the other still grasping her arm.

Out of the corner of her eye, Fate had seen Zafira with several others heading toward her, blood in their eyes. In a minute there would be a brawling fight, or worse.

Fate stood very still and raised one hand slightly, waving her men away. Zafira stopped, his body tense, and signaled to the others to wait, but his eyes never left Fate's face. She pulled her hat out of the Shutran's grasp, stepping back and freeing her other arm as she did so. She slowly put her hat back on and stood quietly facing the leering cowboy.

"I'm Fate Testarossa. You must be new around here, or else you'd know that. I don't believe I know your name. I'm here looking for my men, and I'd appreciate it if you'd let me through." She spoke quietly but her words carried to those nearest her. Several men turned a watchful eye on the cowboy. The air crackled with tension.

"Oh, you'd like to get by, would you?" he mocked, swaying slightly and making another grab for her. "How would you like to come upstairs with me instead? Might be I could show you a good time."

Fate sidestepped quickly and remained facing him. "Mister, I wouldn't take any pleasure in killing you, but you're wearing out my patience. These fellas here are all trying to enjoy this roundup, and so am I. Nobody wants trouble. Now I don't want to have my men get all busted up trying to make you be reasonable, so if you don't go off somewhere and let me be, I'm gonna have to shoot you myself." She spoke quietly, and hadn't made any move toward her gun, but several cowboys nearby drew sharp breaths and pushed quickly out of the way.

The stranger had laughed hoarsely, his eyes flickering to the faces around him. None were friendly. "You think you can take me?" he jeered, licking his lips, which were suddenly dry.

"I can, but I'd rather not." Her voice was soft but every man in the room heard her.

He looked at the deadly calm in her eyes, and dropped his gaze. "I ain't never shot no woman, and you're not gonna be the first," he muttered, turning slowly away.

As quickly as it had begun it was over, but Fate had won her rightful place in the mind of every man present. As Fate made her way through the crowd, a woman had approached, stopping her with a hand on her arm. Fate remembered that her eyes had been a gentle maroon, deep and warm.

"I want to thank you for keeping these damn fools from tearing up this place. I'm afraid some of my girls would have been hurt. Mind you, I think you're daft."

That had been six roundups ago, and over the years since, she and Shamal had become friends. Whenever Fate was in town she made it a point to stop in to the saloon to say hello or to buy Shamal a drink after the last of the cowhands had staggered off at the end of the night. Their friendship was an unconscious appreciation between two women who were often misunderstood, and Fate had learned to value their moments together. She could talk to Shamal in a way that she could to no one else, not even Zafira.

"Hey, Lightning, what are you dreaming about?" Shamal asked as she circled her glass over the top of the bar watching the dark liquid swirl close to the brim.

Fate smiled at the woman pressed close against her side. Shamal's head barely reached Fate's shoulder and Fate had to lean down to make herself heard. "I was remembering that first night when I met you."

"Oh Lord, that was a sight," Shamal laughed, downing the whiskey shot in one practiced flick of her wrist. "You and that cowboy in a standoff. Would you have really shot that fella?"

Fate grinned suddenly. "I don't know. I hadn't thought about it yet!" She laughed at the look of dismay on her companion's face. "How are you, Shamal? It seems like an age since we've talked."

"Oh, a little older, Fate, but still holding up. Haven't seen you around too much these last few months. Not forgetting old friends, are you?" Shamal searched Fate's face, realizing once again how fine looking she was. Too handsome for a woman, but too pleasing to the eye for a man.

Fate smiled at her fondly and shook her head. "Not you, Shamal. I couldn't forget you.'

Shamal colored slightly and gazed at their reflections in the mirror behind the bar, choosing her words carefully. "Say, Lightning, who was that young woman I saw you strolling through town with today? Don't think I know her."

Fate turned startled eyes on Shamal. "Why, her name is Nanoha Takamachi, Shamal. She and her family just moved here from Cranagan. I didn't see you. Why didn't you call out?"

"Oh! I was busy doing something as I recall. An Easterner you say," she sounded wary.

"What's the matter, Shamal?" Fate asked, surprised by the suspicion in her voice.

Shamal forced a laugh and looked up at Fate, saying lightly, "Why nothing, Fate. It's just that you have to remember those Easterners are a flighty bunch. They come out here and everything is new and different and they fall in love with the sparkle of it. Only after a while they get tired of it, and throw it all away like a worn out shoe."

Fate stared at Shamal, trying to understand what she was talking about. She was still thinking about it later that night when she fell tiredly into bed.

* * *

A/N: There is a perfectly good reason why I picked Shamal of all people for this. You'll find out soon in the future ;D. I got all my exams done so now I have time to write. Expect another chapter tomorrow :D.

Oh and keep mind that there was a Belkan Civil War between the North (Mid-Childa) and the South (Shutra) a few years in the past. Keep this information in mind because it'll be important as the story progresses. Oh and if anyone hasn't figure it out yet, the setting is based on post American Civil War era.

Until next time!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and its characters, nor do I own this plot since it's directly based on Radclyffe's story of the same title. I just love the story so much and the characters had an uncanny similarity with NanoFate that I had to share this awesome story .. Apologies if I offend anyone.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Nanoha was at the auction as early as she could manage the next morning, having recruited Chrono to carry her camera and equipment once again. This time she chose a spot that wasn't directly in the path of careening livestock. Women from town had set up tables under a grove of trees just beyond the stockyards and were providing refreshments and sandwiches for the hordes of men congregating in front of the stands. Children raced about while worried mothers followed frantically behind them. And the cowboys kept coming, driving herds into town day and night. The numbers of men in town had swelled during the night, and the sound of boisterous revelry had filled the streets well after midnight. Nanoha had lain awake for hours, listening to the echoes of laughter on the night air, thinking about her day. She could never recall a time that she had enjoyed more. She could have talked with Fate for hours, and she so wanted the chance to see her again. When she announced at breakfast that she was planning on returning to the auction later that morning, Nanoha's mother objected.

"What could possibly interest you in that place?" Momoko asked in exasperation. "Dirt and animals and rough men!"

"Everything!" Nanoha had replied. "There is so much to see, and so many things to learn."

"And what about your plans to help Lindy with the spinning today?" Momoko queried, thinking that this at least was a useful skill. Despite the fact that the dry goods store stocked sewing material and even some apparel brought by wagon from the east, it was clear that some clothing and household linens were going to need to be fashioned by hand.

"I'm going to the Harlaown's as soon as the breakfast dishes are finished," Nanoha affirmed, knowing that there were things she must learn that she had never dreamed of needing to do before. Most of the time she welcomed the opportunity to spend time with Lindy and some of the other women, but her heart wasn't in it today. Not when a mile away the streets teemed with excitement.

"Roundup only comes once a year, Momoko," Shiro had offered, seeing the disappointment in Nanoha's face. He was as distracted by all the goings on as his daughter, but he at least had the excuse of gathering information for the paper to explain his attendance at the events.

"I'm sure that Mrs. Harlaown won't mind Nanoha's absence for a few days. I'll walk Nanoha over there myself and explain."

Lindy had more than understood. She had been packing lunches when Shiro and Nanoha arrived, explaining that she had volunteered to watch one of the food tables. When Nanoha promised to help her later that day, Lindy had shooed her off with Chrono in tow, saying, "You go on then. I'm 'most done here, and I've seen plenty of roundups. I don't mind missing a few hours of this one."

So by late morning Nanoha was eagerly searching the crowds for a sign of Fate. She was beginning to despair as she wended her way through throngs of men, down one dusty aisle after another, corral after corral of animals that all looked alike surrounding her on every side. The cowboys looked all of a kind, too. Broad-brimmed hats, vests over faded cotton shirts, dusty levis and the ever-present leather chaps. Most had smudges of trail dirt on their faces, too, rendering them nearly interchangeable. Until Nanoha saw her.

Then Nanoha wondered how she had ever mistaken her for one of the cowboys just a few weeks before. Fate stood talking with a burly fellow, her face in profile to Nanoha. Even with the brim of her hat tipped down, throwing shadows over her eyes, Fate's subtle grace was apparent. She was lean and taut, much like some of the younger men, but the gentle arch of her neck and the elegant curve of her jaw were inherently beautiful in a way that even the handsomest youth was not. Fate loosely clasped her gun belt in a pose Nanoha recognized, and Nanoha studied Fate's hands, fixing on the long, slender fingers. She remembered the careful way Fate had held her hand the previous afternoon in the hotel and her heart tripped a beat, her stomach making a sudden turn at the same time. Nanoha caught her breath, feeling suddenly, unaccountably, warm.

At that moment, Fate turned and looked her way. Fate smiled, and Nanoha smiled back, wondering at the rush of happiness that winged to her on that glorious smile. Fate said something to the man she was with and hurried to Nanoha's side.

"Why, Nanoha! I didn't expect to see you here again today." She surveyed the nearby crowd. "Are you alone?"

"Chrono walked me down," Nanoha replied. "He's off with one of the wranglers just now."

Fate grinned. "That boy has a real itch to be a cowboy. His father has something different in mind for him, I'll wager."

"Didn't yours?" Nanoha asked as they began to walk back towards the main arena where the auctioning was about to begin.

Her own parents had allowed her far more leniency than many of her girlfriends had enjoyed, letting her pursue her interest in photography and history and literature and other subjects considered inappropriate for young women, but Nanoha couldn't imagine that Fate's parents approved of her working on the ranch. Even in this demanding place where women were forced by circumstance to labor in ways their eastern cousins would find unthinkable, Nanoha had quickly recognized that women did not, as a rule, determine their own destiny.

For a moment Fate looked puzzled. "Not that he ever said. Out here settlers' children always work the land in some way or another. The littlest ones carry water and feed the stock, and the older ones rope and ride or plow, whatever needs to be done."

"The girls, too?" Nanoha asked carefully, thinking of the newspaper accounts she had read of the suffragettes in Augusta who were speaking out for a woman's right to vote and even own property. It wasn't a popular concept. Her mother had declared that these gatherings were unseemly, and that no woman with any sense would want to take on the problems that went along with having that kind of say in things.

"Some things are best left to men," Momoko had said with a frown.

"Hello, Landy," Fate said to a man who spoke to them as they passed. "Well," she continued, "if there's work to be done, everybody does it. Boys cook, and men help with the wash if need be, and come harvest time every able body in the house, man, woman, or child, is in the field."

"And shooting game and herding horses?" Nanoha persisted.

Fate grinned. "I've seen some women who were damn fine shots with a rifle. As to the riding, that's almost required if you're going to get anywhere further than town." She was suddenly serious. "My father taught me to be a rancher because I wanted to be. I don't remember much about my mother. She died of influenza when I was three. From the time I was small I wanted to be like my father. Zafira says I was riding before I could walk, and by the time I was eight I had my first rifle. I liked school well enough, but I'd rather have been tending the herd out on the range. My father made me stay in school until I was fifteen, which is longer than any of the girls usually go. I'm glad now that he did."

Nanoha listened to the wistful tone in Fate's voice and heard how much she missed her father. Nanoha ached for her loss, but she was struck, too, by Fate's simple certainty. Fate lived the life she loved. What an amazing thing. Nanoha walked along in silence, wondering why, until now, she had never thought to question her own life and the path that had been preordained for her.

They stopped by the fence surrounding the main show ring, and Fate leaned her back against the rail, studying Nanoha. Nanoha's dark eyes were distant, a touch of sadness clouding her usually animated features.

"What's bothering you, Nanoha?"

Nanoha blushed. "Nothing. I was just thinking how much I envied you."

Fate laughed, that deep melodious sound Nanoha found so lovely. "I doubt that you'd envy me after a night sleeping out in the cold, up some canyon with nothing for company but wolves and mountain goats!"

Nanoha laughed, too. "You'll have to take me some time so I can find out for myself." She hesitated, then went on boldly, "Would you? Take me up there sometime?"

"Nanoha," Fate said softly. "It's rough country but a few dozen miles from here. Beautiful, but heartless. It's hard even for those of us who have done it all our lives." She hated the look of disappointment that flickered across Nanoha's face. "But I'd be happy to show you around the ranch. Not much to see but the bunkhouse and the cook cabin and a bunch of pens, but if you'd like..."

"Oh, I'd love that," Nanoha affirmed, "very much."

"Well, then, it's settled." Fate pulled a watch from her pocket and frowned. "I'd better get along, Nanoha. I've got business waiting on me."

"I promised I'd help Mrs. Harlaown, too," Nanoha admitted reluctantly. "Good luck with the auction. I'll be thinking of you."

Fate smiled, pleased. "Thank you, Nanoha."

"Goodbye, Fate," Nanoha said softly as she watched her walk away, thinking that the rest of the day could hold nothing as pleasant as these last few moments.

* * *

Nanoha had no chance to speak with Fate again, although she looked for her constantly. Once Nanoha spied her at the corral deep in conversation with another rancher; the next time, Fate was leading a horse around the pen while several men looked the animal over. Nanoha waved to her on several occasions when she could catch her eye, and Fate smiled back and tipped her hat. Most of the time Nanoha was too busy at the refreshment tables or with her photography to keep track of anyone. There was no photographer in the territory and people were constantly stopping to ask her questions. Many were skeptical that she could actually master such a complicated process, but that didn't stop them from asking if she could take their pictures. Nanoha found herself promising to take family shots for a number of neighbors after roundup ended. She had been working steadily much of the afternoon and finally stopped when the direct heat of the sun began to make her increasingly uncomfortable. She folded the camera's legs and dragged it over to one of the food stands nearby.

"You're going to take a stroke standing out there with that black cloth over your head," Lindy warned as Nanoha joined her. She handed a lemonade to Nanoha, who took the drink gratefully.

"You might be right," she gasped, chasing the dust from her throat with the tart drink. "I've never had a chance to take photographs like this before. I don't want to miss a thing."

Lindy nodded. "I remember feeling that way, too, when we first arrived. When I wasn't scared to death, anyhow."

"What was it like?" Nanoha asked.

Lindy smiled wistfully. "Clyde thought he would be a homesteader, but one season on that damn prairie cured him of that. The winds in the summer blow hot enough to parch every blessed thing, and then in the winter you freeze." She shook her head and moved the basket of food into a shadier spot on the table."That land out there will kill you quick if you don't have a special love for it. And if it don't love you."

Nanoha immediately thought of Fate, and the way she talked about her ranch, and nodded. "Some people belong to it, I imagine."

Lindy looked at her oddly, recalling Nanoha and Fate strolling about that morning. She had thought then that it was a strange friendship.

"Don't you be listening to the stories those damn cowboys tell. It ain't so pretty when you're hip deep in snow and starving. It's bad enough that Chrono's got stars in his eyes about wanting to be a wrangler! Don't you go getting ideas!"

"Oh, don't worry," Nanoha laughed. "I have no intention of becoming a cowboy!"

As to listening to the cowboy stories ... Nanoha thought she could listen forever if it was Fate telling the tale.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the delayed update. I got too caught up with cooking burgers and entertaining friends at the beach that I got too tired and went straight to bed after a bath. The next chapter won't be as delayed as this and will be posted tomorrow.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and its characters, nor do I own this plot since it's directly based on Radclyffe's story of the same title. I just love the story so much and the characters had an uncanny similarity with NanoFate that I had to share this awesome story .. Apologies if I offend anyone.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

After the third day of the roundup, Momoko gave up trying to dissuade Nanoha from spending time at the auction stands. She contented herself with Nanoha's promise to keep out of the sun as much as possible.

"You'll ruin your skin," Momoko warned.

Nanoha had kissed her cheek fondly, reached for the bonnet hanging on the coat tree by the door, and called, "I'll wear it, don't fret!" as she hurried down the walk to the street.

She was eager to get there early, because she wanted to find Fate before the business of the day became too hectic. She was taken with an idea that had come over her suddenly the night before and couldn't wait another minute to talk to Fate about it. She headed straight for the area where she knew that Fate's stock were corralled, searching for her distinctive form. When Nanoha saw her astride a great beast of a horse, she stopped to watch, standing back under the shade of a tree.

Fate's face was all but indistinguishable under the low brim of her hat and the bandanna that covered her neck and mouth. She rode the horse hard from one end of the coral to the other, pulling back on the reins quickly several times to change direction, and then leading his head in a tight circle so that his body nearly twisted on itself. He was powerfully built and gleamed black in the bright sunlight, a glorious mass of muscle and might. Nanoha was captivated by the sight of Fate commanding him with the subtlest turn of her hands and the swift kick of her heels against his huge sides. She stared at the way Fate's thighs lifted slightly from the sweat-stained saddle as she leaned forward over his arching neck, urging him to run with the sheer force of her own will.

Nanoha's breath quickened and she was suddenly flushed, even though the air was still cool. Her heart hammered and she bit her lip to still its trembling. She had never felt anything like this twisting, falling sensation in her belly before, and she would have been frightened if it hadn't been so terribly pleasant at the same time. She leaned against the tree, welcoming its sturdy pressure against her back and struggled to steady her shaking legs. Maybe Lindy was right. Maybe she was suffering from heat stroke.

* * *

Fate swung one leg down from the saddle and dropped easily to the ground, walking to the fence with the reins in one hand. The horse followed, snorting noisily from his run.

"He's a dandy, Zafira," she announced to her foreman. "He'd be a great line horse. He's got good legs and he never tires. I'm for buying him."

Zafira nodded, chewing thoughtfully on a plug of tobacco. "If we could get us a mare or two like him, we'd have a solid start of a working brood line."

She slapped her hat against her legs and great clouds of dust rose from her chaps, then wiped her sleeve across her face, her expression distant. "The railroads won't come this far north for a lot of years, and we'd have plenty of market for working horses with the stagecoaches running through here. I say we do it."

"Yep. Me, too."

"I'll go talk to Landy about his mares this..." She stopped abruptly, staring past his shoulder. She tossed the reins over the fence rail and in the same motion braced both hands on the top rung. She vaulted up and over in an instant, bolting across the adjoining pasture, leaving Zafira to stare after her in astonishment.

"Nanoha!" Fate cried anxiously, skidding to a stop by her side. Nanoha appeared pale and shaken. "Are you all right?"

Nanoha gave a tremulous smile. "Yes," she said just a bit uncertainly. "I think so. Perhaps a little too much sun."

Fate glanced at the clear sky, and felt the skitter of a breeze across her cheek. "It's not that warm, Nanoha," she said with concern, her fingers brushing Nanoha's hand. Her burgundy eyes darkened with worry. "You're shaking."

Nanoha took a deep breath, smiling for real. "I'm fine. Truly." She felt foolish now, appearing fragile when it wasn't that at all. She tried not to think about the fact that Fate's light touch on her hand had started up the falling sensations all over again. She pointed towards the corral, wanting to change the subject. "What was that you were doing in there?"

Fate followed her gaze to where Zafira was pulling the saddle off the stallion she had been riding. "Just working him out under saddle. I'm planning on buying him, and a few others with similar bloodlines. I wanted to see how he'd handle."

Nanoha was afraid that anything she said would sound inane, but she didn't think she had ever seen anything as beautiful as Fate Testarossa on that horse. "I want to take your picture," she blurted without thinking.

"What?" Fate exclaimed. "Me?"

She stared at Nanoha, astonished. Then she laughed. "Oh, Nanoha! Why on earth would you want to do that? With all this beautiful country around here, you want to take a picture of a dusty trail hand?"

"You're beautiful, too," Nanoha said quite seriously. When Fate blushed, Nanoha hurried on. "You are - I mean, the way you look on that horse, like the two of you were born connected. It's - it's -" she stopped in frustration. Why was it so hard to put words to the way she felt about Fate?

"Nanoha," Fate said quietly. "If it would please you to take my picture, then I won't say no."

Nanoha's brilliant smile was Fate's reward. "This afternoon?"

Fate laughed again. "Whatever you want. Should I change my clothes? I'll be riding all morning, and by then I'll be a sight."

Remembering how Fate had looked in a sweat-dampened shirt, Nanoha shook her head. "No," she said softly, shyly now, "I want you just like that."

* * *

"Luci, could you let me have two of your sandwiches?" Nanoha asked. "I'll take over here for you tomorrow morning in return."

Lucino Lowran was a new bride, the young wife of the town Marshal. She was rumored to make the best brisket in town, and her stand was a popular one with the cowboys. She had been one of the first women in town to befriend Nanoha, and being of a similar age, they made easy companions.

"Of course, Nanoha." Lucino regarded Nanoha with a knowing smile. "Two, is it? You aren't trying to bribe your way into some man's heart with one of those, are you?"

Nanoha colored self-consciously. "No, I'm taking one for Fate Testarossa."

"Well," Lucino announced, packing a basket, "if she's anything like my Griffith after a day on a horse, you'd best take three."

"Thank you, Luci," Nanoha said, gathering the basket of food.

"Of course, silly. Oh! Don't forget the dance tomorrow night. Everyone will be there."

Nanoha smiled, her eyes fixed on the auction yard, her mind on Fate. "I won't forget, Luci."

It was the biggest auction day of the week and the yard was packed. Nanoha walked to the edge of the crowd surrounding the auction platform. She watched as several prize steers, or so the auctioneer claimed, were auctioned off at apparently high prices. Nanoha found it hard to follow the bidding because men seemed to signal without saying anything.

"Now, gentlemen," the auctioneer called, "the last sale of the afternoon, and the one you've been waiting for, I imagine. I'm offering the best brood mare this side of the Rigate. She's gonna throw the finest foals this territory has ever seen. Do I hear an opening bid?"

Nanoha heard a murmur pass through the crowd and she saw Fate, across the yard, touch her hat brim nonchalantly. Fate had one heel up on the railing and was leaning an arm over the top post, looking relaxed and casual. The bidding became rapid and Nanoha lost track of the amount, but every now and then she saw Fate touch her hat. Finally the bidding slowed and the crowd quieted.

"Do I hear another bid, gentlemen?" the auctioneer called.

"Any other bids? Going once, going twice, SOLD!" He looked Fate's way and shouted, "To the Al Hazard ranch."

Fate broke into a smile and turned to the cowboy beside her who pumped her hand vigorously before walking off toward the holding pens. As the crowd started to disperse, Nanoha picked her way carefully across the yard. Fate watched her approach, too happy to contain a wide grin.

"Hello, Nanoha."

Nanoha was always surprised at the deep, mellow quality of Fate's voice. She tilted her head back to look up into Fate's face and said a little breathlessly, "Is that the horse you wanted?"

"She is. I've been waiting almost two years to find the right animal, and this is the one!"

"I'm glad for you," Nanoha said, meaning it. She lifted her napkin draped wicker basket. "I brought some sandwiches. If you're going to pose for me, I thought I should feed you first!"

Fate looked surprised, and then pleased. "I could do with something to eat! I've been so worked up over the bidding today I think I forgot all about my stomach." She frowned. "Where's your camera and all?"

"I left it back at the tables. We can get it after we eat."

"I'm about ready for that right now."

Impulsively, Nanoha threaded her arm through Fate's. "Good. Then let's find a nice quiet place to celebrate your new purchase."

For an instant Fate went utterly still. The nearness of Nanoha's body was completely strange to her. She never would have thought that the soft touch of a woman's hand could make her feel so tall.

"I think that's a fine idea, Nanoha," Fate said softly.

* * *

A short walk from town, they found a secluded spot under a cluster of trees at the very base of the foothills that climbed precipitously toward the towering mountain peaks. Fate helped Nanoha spread out a cloth on the ground. Above them the sky was a deep blue dotted here and there with dollops of white frothy clouds. There were no sounds save for the faint buzzing of insects and the far away lowing of the cattle in the pens.

"I'm glad that you suggested we bring the camera with us," Nanoha observed, unfolding the legs of the support.

Fate watched the process, hands in the back pockets of her levis, a curious look on her face.

"I still think my horses would make a prettier picture."

Nanoha merely smiled and gestured to a spot where she could see the mountaintop behind them.

"Right over there, please." She positioned the camera, framing Fate in the foreground.

"No, leave your hat on. Just tip it back a bit." She looked up, meeting Fate's gaze. "I like you in that hat."

The hint of teasing, and something else - something warm - in Nanoha's voice, caused Fate to blush.

"What should I do with my hands?" she asked to cover her embarrassment.

Nanoha lifted the cloth over her head and, in a muffled voice, called, "Just stand like you were talking to Zafira. Pretend I'm not here."

"That would be some kind of trick, for sure," Fate muttered.

Nanoha laughed. "And don't talk."

Through the lens, Nanoha focused on Fate. Isolated behind the black covering, Nanoha was alone with her in a way that was so strangely intimate it made her pulse flutter. She was struck anew by Fate's confidant carriage and supple strength. Fate was unlike anyone, man or woman, Nanoha had ever known. She was so beautiful it made Nanoha's throat ache. With a trembling hand, she opened the shutter and began to count softly to herself. For a few seconds after she finished the exposure, she continued to look at her, absorbing every detail of her face and body.

Finally she called, "We're done." Her voice sounded strange to her own ears, and she was aware of an unsettling warmth in her depths.

"Can't say as I mind," Fate remarked, but her tone was light. She stretched out on the ground next to the makeshift tablecloth, enjoying the breeze that played over her face, inexplicably content.

"Seems like an age since I've stopped more than a minute in one spot," Fate sighed.

Nanoha sat down beside her, bringing the basket of food with her. She studied Fate's face, catching the weary undertones in her voice. Fate had tossed her hat behind her and was on her back, one arm behind her head, her long legs sprawled out in front of her. Her eyes were closed, her long tied hair a thick golden mane that framed her tanned face. A patch of pale skin on her upper chest that the sun hadn't touched was exposed where the shirt lay open. She looked terribly vulnerable, and Nanoha suddenly realized that for all Fate's ability and strength, she was still but a woman barely older than Nanoha, and a very tired one.

"Are you all right, Fate?" she asked softly, her voice husky with concern.

Fate turned her head toward Nanoha, her lids fluttering open. She found herself looking up into Nanoha's deep, sapphire eyes and for a moment she did not answer. Nanoha's skin was the most beautiful color that Fate had ever seen, like fresh cream. Her auburn hair and brows emphasized her loveliness, and Fate thought of a picture of angels she had seen in one of her father's books. Just now, however, Nanoha's eyes were cloudy and there was a little frown line above her nose. Fate smiled then, a brilliant smile that chased the shadows from Nanoha's eyes.

"I'm fine, Nanoha. This has been a hard week for my ranch. I've sold or traded most of my stock, and there were a few deals I wasn't sure I could make. But I think it's over now."

"You'll be leaving soon, won't you?" Nanoha asked, her expression darkening even more.

Fate leaned up on one elbow, nodding.

"The day after tomorrow, Nanoha. The men have let off some steam, and we all have a lot of work to do when we get back."

Nanoha looked away, her hands tightening in her lap.

"Of course. I see."

Now Fate was troubled. Seeing Nanoha upset bothered her more than she could say.

"Nanoha. Is something wrong?"

Nanoha turned to Fate then, her cheeks flushed.

"Oh Fate, don't pay any attention to me. It's just that all this will be over then." Her eyes were suddenly, inexplicably, swimming with tears.

"And- and you'll be gone, too!" she finished softly.

"Nanoha, I -I..." Fate hesitantly touched the back of her hand to the single drop that had escaped Nanoha's long lashes, trailing unheeded down her cheek.

"Nanoha," Fate whispered, a tightness in her chest so heavy she thought she would stop breathing.

Nanoha placed her fingers gently on Fate's. "Shh, never mind. It's not your fault."

Fate's eyes widened at the touch of Nanoha's hand. The air grew thick and a fine tremor began in Fate's fingers. Her head buzzed like it did when she'd been too long in the saddle in the August heat.

Nanoha gazed at Fate, frozen. She could see so clearly the quick rise and fall of Fate's chest. She wanted desperately to run her fingers over the bruise that still lingered on Fate's cheek, but she didn't dare move. If Fate took her hand from Nanoha's skin, Nanoha feared she would die. Time stopped, every sound stilled, as they leaned toward one another, their gazes locked. Nanoha knew her face was

high with color but all she could think about was Fate's burgundy eyes. How could anyone's eyes be so unique and beautiful?

Fate felt as if she were falling with nothing to hold onto. Her legs trembled so much she could not have stood. Something inside her stirred, hungry and scared all at once. Her blood ran hot and fierce with a want she had no name for. Fate pulled away, struggling with an army of sensations she had never known.

Nanoha's hand fell back into her lap.

"The sandwiches.." fate mumbled, reaching toward the basket.

"Yes," Nanoha answered, her voice unsteady.

They finished their lunch and walked back into town, each of them quiet.

"You'll come to the dance, won't you?" Nanoha said finally as they prepared to part. They stood very close, but they did not touch. "Before you go?'

Fate nodded. "I'll be there."

Nanoha smiled. "Promise?"

"I promise, Nanoha," Fate said with an answering smile.

Nanoha did touch her then, a light brush of her fingers along fate's arm.

"Good," she said as she stepped away.

Fate watched Nanoha leave, wondering why it seemed like something was tearing loose inside her. She stood there for a long time in the gathering dust, feeling more alone than she could ever remember.

* * *

A/N: Haha I feel kind of evil leaving it like this. Next chapter will be posted tomorrow.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and its characters, nor do I own this plot since it's directly based on Radclyffe's story of the same title. I just love the story so much and the characters had an uncanny similarity with NanoFate that I had to share this awesome story .. Apologies if I offend anyone.

* * *

**Chapter 9**

"Momoko! We'll be late if we don't leave soon!"

Shiro and Nanoha were impatiently pacing the length of the sitting room, dressed and ready to go. Shiro didn't want to miss a moment of the night's festivities. Nanoha hadn't been able to think of anything all day except that this was Fate's last night in town, and that it would seem so dreary with her and the other cowboys gone.

"Well, Nanoha! Since almost everyone in town will be at the dance tonight, it feels like your coming-out ball all over again." He smiled at his daughter. "You look lovely."

She wore a midnight blue dress that her mother had carefully packed and carried all the way from Cranagan. It was elegant in its simplicity, cut away at the neck only enough to show a hint of bodice, the skirt skimming her slender form in the latest style. Nanoha had worn it once before, but not with the anticipation she did now. Tonight she felt like a woman, and not like a young girl on display.

"I think after this evening we'll be seeing more than a few young men appearing at our door." Shiro enthused, beaming with fatherly pride.

Nanoha smiled at him, dismissing the question of suitors with an easy shrug.

"We shall never know if we don't get there, Father. I'll go see what's keeping Mother."

Nanoha left Shiro peering at his watch and made her way upstairs to her mother's room. She found Momoko seated before her dressing table, dressed to go.

"Mother! Is something wrong? Are you ill?" Nanoha was frightened by the strange look on Momoko's face.

Momoko turned to Nanoha and smiled slightly.

"Frightened I think, Nanoha. You and your father have settled in so well, it's as if you've always lived here. We've been here for weeks and I still feel like a stranger. Oh, everyone is kind and helpful, but I feel out of place. Tonight, with the whole town there, I'm not sure I can manage!" She shook her head helplessly.

Nanoha went to her and put her hands on her mother's shoulders sympathetically.

"You expect too much of yourself, Mother. There's no hurry. You'll discover in time that these people are really no different than those we knew in Cranagan. You have to look past their clothes and their different ways, and see them for the honest, good people that they are."

She met her mother's eyes in the mirror.

"I don't expect you'll like all of them, but I think you'll find most of them can be friends. Some of them are quite extraordinary." She gave Momoko a little shake, laughing.

"Come on now, before Father explodes!"

Momoko followed her daughter downstairs, far from convinced, but determined to make the best of her situation since it was clear to her that her husband and her daughter had already made Altseim their home.

* * *

Fate packed her valise and stood it at the foot of the bed. She planned to leave in the morning and had already settled her accounts at the bank. She only stayed tonight because of the town gathering and dance. It was a town tradition to celebrate the end of roundup, and despite the fact that she didn't know most of the townspeople any more than to say hello, she had been raised to respect tradition. And she had promised Nanoha that she would be there.

Thinking of Nanoha made her smile. There was something so fresh and eager about Nanoha that when they were together everything seemed so much more exciting than it ever had before. No one had ever made her feel at once so comfortable and so alive. She knew there were other feelings Nanoha stirred in her, but, not knowing how to explain them, she set them aside. Soon she would be back at the ranch and she would probably never see Nanoha again, except to nod hello in the street when they might happen to meet. Unaccountably saddened by the realization, she turned to the mirror above the dresser and surveyed her reflection, determined not to think about anything except the evening ahead.

She wore a black shirt with silver trim at the pockets and cuffs tucked into close-fitting black pants. Her blond hair was tied loosely at the back of her neck with a black ribbon. The heavy beaten silver trim on her ornate holster matched the shimmering silver threads in her shirt.

'I look like a tenderfoot," she thought ruefully, but she was not displeased. She reached for her black hat and closed her door.

When Fate arrived she found the crowd already beginning to spill out into the street in front of the meeting hall. Music and the muted roar of many voices wafted out through the open double doors. She sidled her way through the crowd, nodding and exchanging hellos with wranglers she knew and townspeople she recognized. When she entered the large crowded room, she made her way slowly around the periphery toward tables in the rear where women offered food and drink. In the center of the space people jostled and talked and surrounded those couples dancing to the lively music of several fiddlers. Suddenly she was very hungry. A slender arm reached out for her, and she turned, meeting twinkling teal eyes and a broad smile.

"Fate Testarossa! You look mighty fine tonight," Lindy Harlaown bellowed to Fate above the roar.

"I heard that you did well at the auction this year. I'm pleased to hear it!"

Fate broke into a smile and shouted back, "Thank you, and your husband, too. I would say I'm pleased enough with how Al Hazard did!"

Lindy nodded again and began to pile food on a plate. As she handed it to Fate, she seemed to remember something and shouted again, "Fate, I forgot to introduce you two. This here is Mrs. Momoko Takamachi. She and her family are new in town! Momoko, this is Fate Testarossa, one of the ranchers from north of town."

Fate looked quickly at Momoko, who was staring at her intently, and doffed her hat. Now she could see the resemblance to Nanoha, in that auburn hair and penetrating sapphire gaze.

"Ma'am," Fate said politely. "I'm pleased to know you. I hope you're settling in well."

Momoko struggled to absorb the idea of a woman striding about in public dressed like a man, and carrying a weapon. Different, Nanoha had said? Indecent was more like it. Lord, what were people thinking of out here!

She answered stiffly, "How do you do, Miss Testarossa." She turned away gratefully when a new arrival extended a plate for her to fill. All she could think was how relieved she would be when all this roundup business was over and these cowboys would leave town.

Fate stared after her for a second, then nodded to Lindy and moved off to a quiet corner of the room to eat.

Nanoha had been watching for Fate to arrive all evening, and when she first saw her, she caught her breath sharply in surprise. She had not known what to expect, but certainly not this! Fate appeared neither as a dusty trail hand nor as another frontier woman in her best Sunday dress. Fate was just herself - striking in shimmering black and silver, confident and sure, she stood slightly apart from the crowd and in Nanoha's eyes was the most interesting person in the room. Nanoha stepped quietly away from the group of young women she was with and made her way through the crowd toward her.

Fate leaned back against a broad wooden pole a little away from the edge of the dance floor, listening to the music and trying to relax. A cool evening breeze drifted in from an open window nearby. She looked over the crowd, searching for Nanoha. She hadn't thought about much else all day except that she would see Nanoha that night, and she couldn't stop worrying over their strange lunch the day before. Something was troubling Nanoha, and that troubled her more than anything ever had.

Then Fate saw her and forgot completely what she had been fretting about. Nanoha was a vision in blue, easily the loveliest woman in the room, and the smile she sent Fate's way set her heart to pounding strangely.

"I thought you might not come!" Nanoha said breathlessly as she stopped in front of her, her eyes searching Fate's face.

"And what else would I do during the biggest gathering of the year?" Fate asked teasingly. She grinned a little shyly.

"Besides, I told you that I would be here."

"Yes, you did," Nanoha said softly. She knew somehow that Fate would always keep her word. Fate looked down at her, surprised by the wistful note in her voice.

"You look beautiful tonight. I like you in black." Nanoha said it quietly, realizing she really meant it. Odd, because ordinarily she didn't notice such things. Fate had a way of capturing her attention without doing anything more than smiling at her.

Fate blushed under her tan and looked away. When she spoke, her voice was thick and low.

"I'd say beautiful was more what you are tonight, Nanoha." She looked into Nanoha's face, her heart racing as her gaze traveled from Nanoha's eyes, blue and deep with feeling, to her full lips, curled into a faint smile. She was dimly aware of blood pounding in her ears as she watched the hypnotic rise and fall of Nanoha's breasts against the brilliant blue of the dress.

"You shine with it."

Nanoha couldn't look away from her. The sound of Fate's voice was all that she could hear, the deep wine-red of Fate's eyes was all that she could see. She took a step closer. Her head was even with Fate's shoulder; she watched the pulse beat quickly in Fate's neck.

Fate's right hand was curled tightly around her silver studded belt, so tightly her fingers ached. She drew her breath in sharply as she felt Nanoha's fingers, feather light on her own, but she didn't move. Nanoha's eyes were sparkling blue diamonds and her face was misted with a fine perspiration.

"Fate-" Nanoha said softly.

Fate jerked her head around as a male voice said beside them, "Why, Miss Takamachi, you look too pretty tonight to be standing off here all alone. I think you should be dancing. May I have that pleasure?" Yuuno Scrya, the town's only lawyer and a relative newcomer himself, was smiling confidently down at Nanoha, waiting expectantly.

"I'm not alone!" Nanoha retorted hotly, not bothering to hide her anger at his rude interruption. "I'm talking with..."

Fate quickly pulled her hand from under Nanoha's, took a step back, and added quietly, "He's quite right, Nanoha. This is a party, and you should be dancing. Please go ahead."

Nanoha glanced up at Fate, unable to decipher the distant expression in her eyes. She didn't know how to politely refuse Yuuno's request, although leaving Fate to dance with him was the last thing she wanted to do. She nodded silently to the man beside her and took his arm, letting him lead her to the floor. As she followed, she struggled with her anger and confusion. She had not wanted to dance with him, and she did not understand why Fate suggested that she should. As he placed his arm lightly around her waist Nanoha looked back to where Fate had been standing. Fate was gone.

* * *

Fate pushed through the swinging doors of the saloon and surveyed the empty room. Even Zest the bartender was at the dance. She walked behind the bar and poured a brandy, leaving a coin on the countertop. She pulled out a chair and sat at one of the tables, staring into the dark amber liquid swirling in her glass. She wasn't sure how long she'd been there when she heard footsteps on the stairs behind her.

"Well, Lightning," Shamal's softly called as she made her way behind the bar. "You're home early from the dance!"

"I don't much feel like it tonight, Shamal."

"Oh? And everyone's there, too." Shamal tried to read the thoughts behind Fate's smooth features and failed. She poured herself a whiskey and came around to sit down on Fate's right.

"Something happen tonight, Fate?" she asked casually, noting the hollow tone in Fate's voice. She sipped the whiskey and watched Fate's face. Fate was too honest to hide much.

"What?" Fate asked, as if from far away. She couldn't find the words to describe how she felt, even to herself. Empty, in a funny sort of way. "Oh, no. Just tired, I guess."

"Maybe you've had too much of this easy town living, Fate. Maybe you're just homesick for a rocky bed and cold food," Shamal teased lightly.

Fate looked fondly over at Shamal. "Maybe that's it, Shamal. Too much comfort can be bad for you." She stretched her legs out under the table and shrugged her tense shoulders.

"Maybe I just need to get back to the ranch where I belong."

Shamal got up and stood behind her, her hands resting lightly on Fate's shoulders. She gently kneaded the tight muscles, leaning close to murmur, "Tell you what I think you need, Lightning. A good old- fashioned bath. Finish your drink now. One of the girls was just drawing me a hot tub upstairs. The way these muscles are strung, you feel like you could use it more than me."

Fate sighed softly and leaned back, eyes closed. Shamal's hands felt good, and she was weary.

"You'll have me asleep here in a minute, Shamal."

Shamal stared down at Fate's finely chiseled features and stroked her fingers lightly over the silky smooth skin of her neck. Minutes passed and Fate remained motionless, her slender hands resting quietly on her thighs, her head resting gently against Shamal's body.

Shamal finally moved her hand and whispered with effort, "Come on, Lightning. I'll give you a hand with that bath."

Fate shuddered and roused herself. She followed Shamal slowly up the stairs, but her mind was still on the dance, and the way that Nanoha had looked in Yuuno Scrya's arms. She had no idea why it bothered her so much that she wouldn't get to say goodbye.

"Shed those duds," Shamal instructed as she tested the temperature of the water, and added a little more from a still steaming kettle sitting on the fireplace hearth in the far corner of the room. "And climb in here."

Fate stripped, laying her clothes over the chair next to the bed. She lowered herself into the tin tub, sighing. "That does feel good."

Shamal stood behind her, working up a lather with a bar of soap. "Dunk your head, Lightning."

Fate did, then shook the water from her eyes and rested her neck on the rim, stretching her arms out along the sides. The water came to just above her breasts. She closed her eyes as Shamal began to wash her hair, groaning softly in appreciation. She drifted with the heat and the soothing rhythm of Shamal's fingers on her scalp.

Shamal watched as Fate's limbs loosened and her breathing became slow and deep. Gently she rinsed the soap from Fate's thick sun-streaked hair, smoothing the stray strands off her face. Shamal rested her palms very lightly on Fate's shoulders, her fingers trailing over the edge of her collar bone, just brushing the pale skin of her upper chest. Fate shifted, sighing faintly. Shamal held her breath for a long moment, her hands trembling.

"Fate," Shamal murmured.

Fate heard the soft voice call to her from a long ways away. She smiled up into the face so close to hers, responding to the welcoming gaze with a swift rush of pleasure. She lifted her hand and caught the fingers that stroked her skin, turning the palm and pressing it to her lips. She was warm, warm and liquid deep within, and her limbs trembled with a sweet urgency that grew more insistent as she drew the hand she held onto her breast. She tilted her head, eager for a kiss from the lips so near her own. With the first gentle pressure on her mouth, she sighed again, the breath stealing from her body on the wings of desire.

"Wake up, Lightning," Shamal repeated, louder this time.

Fate came awake with a start, sitting up so suddenly that water splashed over the rim onto the floor.

"Lord," she muttered, looking wildly about. Shamal stood beside her, a towel in her hand. "What happened?"

"You fell asleep," Shamal said matter of factly.

"That's all?" Fate asked, trying to piece together the fragments of the dream. All she could clearly recall were wisps of color -blue skies, and white bits of clouds, and sapphire eyes that held her. Eyes that were very different from Shamal's deep maroon ones. Her body was quivering strangely and she thought her skin might catch fire from the inside. She drew a ragged breath, reaching for the towel, stepping from the tub on trembling legs.

"You sure?"

"What else?" Shamal said, heading for the door. She wasn't about to tell Fate whose name she had murmured in her sleep. There wasn't any point to giving her ideas if she didn't already have them. The one way Fate differed from the cowboys she rode with was that she was sweetly unschooled in matters of the flesh. Shamal loved Fate's innocence as much as it sometimes tried her.

"You were just dreaming, Fate."

Fate stared at the door as it closed behind her friend, the memory of the kiss still tingling on her lips.

* * *

A/N: So there, the next chapter will be exciting to write XD ! See you tomorrow.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and its characters, nor do I own this plot since it's directly based on Radclyffe's story of the same title. I just love the story so much and the characters had an uncanny similarity with NanoFate that I had to share this awesome story .. Apologies if I offend anyone.

* * *

**Chapter 10**

"Nanoha, Nanoha Darling! You must go upstairs and get ready. Mr. Scrya will be here for dinner any moment and you don't want him finding you like that!" Momoko called.

She frowned as Nanoha turned away from the window where she had been sitting most of the afternoon, silent and withdrawn. As her daughter disappeared obediently upstairs, Momoko turned to Shiro who sat before the fireplace, engrossed in the paper.

"Shiro, I'm worried about Nanoha. She has been so quiet these last few weeks. She spends most of her time in that dark room with her pictures, and she rarely visits any of her new friends. I do believe she's losing weight. She needs to get out more!"

Shiro glanced up and chuckled.

"Haven't you noticed all this mooning about started shortly after the dance last month? Just about the time young Yuuno Scrya started calling? I should think you'd recognize the way a young girl acts when she's being courted!" He smiled and shook his head.

"And I must say, I like that Scrya. He's got a fine head on his shoulders and a promising future in this town! He'd make a very good husband for Nanoha."

Momoko looked exasperated. She wasn't as convinced as her husband about the cause of Nanoha's moodiness. She knew how young girls in love acted. They might moon about, but only when it suited them. She saw none of the excitement in Nanoha's eyes that should have been there when Yuuno Scrya came to call, and none of the eagerness for his visits that was the normal reaction. Yuuno gave every indication that his intent was serious where Nanoha was concerned. Nanoha was polite and attentive, as was proper and expected under the circumstances, but when alone, she was melancholic.

"I'm not so sure, Shiro. Nanoha isn't acting at all like herself.''

Momoko hoped that Nanoha hadn't gotten some romantic notion about love confused with practicality. Marriage was the first priority. Fondness would follow, as it had for her and Shiro.

Shiro sighed and went to his wife, putting his arms around her.

"Don't worry, my dear. No reason in the world why she shouldn't take to Yuuno Scrya, and given time, she'll see that, too."

* * *

"I'm sorry," Nanoha said, blushing. "What did you say?"

Sitting with her parents and Yuuno in the parlor after dinner, Nanoha found her mind wandering. She was restless and had a hard time paying attention to the usual topics of conversation that inevitably included discussions of the weather, the newspaper business, and the increasing lawlessness along the overland trail. As the conversation went on around her, she wondered why she wasn't feeling what she should for Yuuno Scrya. He was pleasant and amusing and her parents approved of him. He had all the attributes of a proper suitor.

When he looked at her with fond regard, she felt like a bird in a trap. She wanted to flee, and realized with ever deepening dread that she had nowhere to go. She tried to imagine being married to him, for surely that was why he continued to call, and she couldn't. She could not imagine waking up next to him in the morning or talking with him over breakfast, and she could not, no matter how hard she tried, imagine lying with him in the night. When he kissed her cheek before leaving in the evening, she had to force herself not to recoil from his touch.

"I'm sorry?" she repeated.

"Mr. Scrya was asking about the help you've been giving Luci down at the school," Momoko chided gently.

"Oh! yes," Nanoha replied, trying to sound enthusiastic, for in truth helping Lucino Lowran was the only thing preserving her sanity, or so it seemed to her. "There are so many more children now, and since she's expecting her own soon, Luci needed help."

"Admirable," Yuuno remarked. "A very fine thing for you to do until a regular teacher can be found, and you are married yourself!"

Nanoha stared at him, at a loss as to how to respond. It was true that teaching was usually considered an occupation for unmarried women, since women rarely held any kind of employment after marriage. Nanoha had never understood that, and as she considered her own future, it made even less sense. What was wrong with her?

Nanoha looked at the handsome young man in her parents' parlor and thought about the evening they had met. The only thing she could recall about the entire evening was a tall blond woman in black and silver.

_Fate... _

Nanoha hadn't even had the chance to say goodbye. The next morning after the dance she had hurried through town to the auction yards, only to find that the pens were all empty. With a sinking feeling she had surveyed the gates standing open and the deserted corrals and a sadness had settled upon her that would not lift. She ached, and longed for something she could not name.

She had not seen Fate since, but her memory of her was as clear as one of her photos. She kept looking for her every time a cowboy rode into town or she heard the jingle of spurs on the sidewalk behind her. When she lay down to sleep, she remembered the glow in Fate's eyes as they stood close together, their hands lightly touching. She would find herself shivering, first hot, then cold, her heart racing. Her dreams were filled with strange half-visions of long, slender fingers, golden hair and deep burgundy eyes. She would awaken in the morning even more unsettled, with a curious trembling in her stomach. What was happening to her?

"Nanoha. Nanoha!" Momoko looked at her daughter with concern. "Mr. Scrya has asked to see some of your photos, dear."

Nanoha forced a bright smile. "Of course! How kind. I'll bring some out for you."

She escaped gratefully for a few moments to her room, counting the minutes until she could be alone again.

* * *

Fate paced uneasily up and down on the broad porch that fronted her home. It was late, and the night was still under a black sky broken only by the faraway flicker of summer stars. For some reason she couldn't read. Her mind kept losing the thread. Her insides were churning, and even a bit of whiskey couldn't settle her. She had taken to riding hours on the open range every day, checking fences that didn't need mending and riding herd on horses that didn't need tending. She slept poorly and was short-tempered, flaring up at Zafira over nothing at all. Even the sight of the sun setting over the land she loved failed to calm her. This land, her home, which had always been her comfort, seemed empty and barren.

The sound of her boots on the wood floors echoed aimlessly off the walls, and she was lonely. She sighed deeply and looked about her. She was tired, but she knew she wouldn't sleep. Instead, she walked to the barn and saddled her horse. She'd ride, and maybe she'd no longer feel the ache.

Hours later, she dismounted in front of the saloon in Altseim. It was near to closing and the bar was almost empty when she entered. She smiled wanly at Zest's surprised face as she leaned against the bar.

"Evening, Zest. Got any of that brandy left?"

"Sure thing, Fate. Kind of surprised to see you in here tonight."

"Me, too, Zest. I just started out and this is where I ended up."

He didn't comment. He'd been a bartender long enough to know that sometimes a cowboy just got tired of the silence out there in the night. He poured her a drink and filled her in on some of the local news.

Fate listened and nodded, letting the warm glow of the brandy take the worry from her mind.

"Buy a lady a drink, Lightning?"

Fate smiled, her spirits lifting. She turned to Shamal, nodding. "I sure will, if you'll sit and drink it with me, Shamal."

Shamal's sharp glance took in the circles under Fate's eyes and the uneasy expression even the liquor couldn't smooth away.

"You know there's nothing I'd like better, Fate. What brings you in here this time of week? Ranching getting too quiet for you?"

"Couldn't sleep," she admitted. "Didn't know what I wanted til I ended up here."

"Oh?" Shamal's eyebrows arched, and she said in a slightly mocking tone, "and what might that be?"

Fate flushed, suddenly shy. "A friendly voice and a warm smile, I think."

Shamal took Fate's arm in hers and led her to a corner table. She lifted her glass to her lips and stared intently into Fate's troubled eyes.

"I'd say you've got something on your mind, Lightning. Want to talk about it?"

"I don't know, Shamal. I haven't been right lately. You know I love the ranch, and the work has always made me happy. These last few weeks I've felt sort of uneasy, like something was missing. Can't seem to get my head clear." Fate looked down at the table, confused.

"Maybe you're just expecting too much from it, Fate. Work can't be everything to a person. I'd say you need a little relaxing now and then. Never could figure how a body could work as hard as you do!"

Fate laughed and tipped her brandy glass. Suddenly she didn't feel quite so alone. She bought them both another drink, and they sat and talked and waited for the sun to come up.

Finally, Fate arched her back and looked out toward the street. "Lord, Shamal! I've kept you up the whole night!"

Shamal swallowed the last of her drink and answered slowly, "Can't think of anyone else I'd rather spend the night with, Fate."

A small smile played across Shamal's face. Fate looked into her maroon eyes and felt herself grinning like a fool.

"I'll remember that, Shamal."

As she walked Fate to the door and watched her walk out into the morning, Shamal answered softly, "You be sure and do that, Lightning."

* * *

Shiro groaned softly and turned over, struggling to ignore the pounding in his head. At last he gave in and opened one eye. It was then that he realized that the barrage was coming from his front porch. He reached for his watch on the nightstand and was astounded to see that it was not yet six in the morning.

"Who could that be?" Momoko queried anxiously from beside him as she sat up, the coverlet clutched protectively to her chest.

"I'll go see," he muttered, searching on the floor for his slippers.

Nanoha's bedroom door opened and she peeked out, bleary-eyed and confused.

"What is it?"

Shiro shook his head, trudging sleepily to the stairs.

"Don't know, my dear."

Nanoha pulled her robe tightly closed over her nightgown and followed Shiro down the stairs. Through the curtains covering the window in the front door she recognized Clyde Harlaown's large form. He was raising his fist to bang again on the frame, simultaneously rattling the doorknob. The entire door shook on its hinges.

"Wait a minute!" Shiro bellowed as he fit the key to the lock.

"Shiro!" Clyde shouted before the door was half open.

"Get dressed. We've got to put out a special edition of the paper! There's news, man!"

"What's happened?" Shiro asked, instantly awake and turning back toward the stairs. "Let me get into some clothes."

Clyde followed into the foyer, calling after him, "A stagecoach was held up not far outside of town. It was on its way from the territorial seat in Rigate with some fellows from the land title office. They were carrying a fair amount of cash."

"The stage!" Shiro exclaimed, turning back at the top of the stairs. "But who?"

Clyde shook his head angrily. "Outlaws from further west in the territory. Men who couldn't find gold on their own and decided to steal it. They held up the coach and scared the passengers half to death. Robbed them and then were fixing to shoot them all. Imagine that!"

He glanced impatiently at his friend. "Come on, Shiro, we've got to get down to the Doc's."

Shiro frowned. "Doctor Graham's? What for?"

Clyde gave him an impatient look. "Because a couple of folks got shot up. I told you those boys were looking for trouble!"

Shiro's face went pale. This was a little more excitement than he had been prepared for. "Shot! My Lord, Clyde, who?"

Clyde looked even more distressed. "The driver – Lat Cartos - and Fate Testarossa."

Nanoha felt the blood drain from her face and she sat down quickly on the stairs, her head buzzing. She was dimly aware of her father rushing down the hall toward his bedroom, of her mother's frightened voice calling questions, of Clyde shouting something in the background about Fate. She pulled herself up on the banister and waited for her head to stop swirling.

"Mr. Harlaown," she gasped, her voice shaking, "Mr. Harlaown..."

"Yes, Nanoha," Clyde said distractedly, pacing at the foot of the stairs.

"Fate. How is Fate?" Nanoha held tightly to the railing, fearing that she might scream.

Clyde looked uncomfortable. "I don't know, Nanoha. She rode into it, apparently, and tried to stop the holdup. The Marshal and some other men rode out with a wagon not long ago to get her and Cartos. They should be coming into town soon."

He stopped as Clyde brushed past Nanoha and clamored down the stairs. Both men rushed out, slamming the door behind them.

Nanoha slumped against the wall, willing herself to think. In her mind's eye she saw Fate - her burgundy eyes, her golden hair, her shy grin. Nanoha was not a stranger to death. In the arduous months of their journey west she had seen accidents and illness claim the lives of men, women, and children. But like this? Could the life of someone as gentle and kind as Fate simply be snuffed out by men with no regard for law or morality? For the first time, Nanoha understood that the bright new world she had discovered held evil, too, a darkness where death came quickly, without concern for goodness or justice.

"Oh Lord," Nanoha whispered, afraid for the first time since leaving Boston. "Not Fate. Please."

Her fear was what finally galvanized her. She rushed to her room and hastily pulled off her nightclothes. As she searched in her dresser for undergarments, she uncovered the photograph of Fate she had taken the day of the picnic and then tucked away for safekeeping.

"Oh," she gasped, lifting it tenderly in both hands.

She stared at the image, her eyes slowly filling with tears as she recalled Fate's easy smile and the soft touch of her hand as they sat side by side under a cloudless sky that had held no hint of tragedy. The memory was so powerful she trembled.

"Nanoha!" Momoko called from the doorway of her daughter's room.

"Where are you going at this hour?"

Nanoha crushed the photograph to her breast protectively and said without turning, "There's been ahold-up. I'm going into town to see what's happening."

"That's no place for you," Momoko admonished, more concerned for Nanoha's safety than propriety.

"There may be trouble."

Nanoha finally faced her. "I must do something," she said stubbornly. "I can't stay here not knowing."

* * *

A large crowd had gathered in the street, shifting and pulsating with a life of its own. Men stood on the steps in front of the Marshal's office, waving rifles and shouting to others to form a posse. Men, women, and children milled about in front of the doctor's storefront office, craning for a view and talking excitedly all at once. Nanoha stood at the outskirts of the group, struggling to see, straining to hear any word of Fate. With each second her anxiety grew.

"Excuse me," she asked of a man nearby. "Is there any news?"

He shook his head. "None for sure. Somebody's dead, but ain't no one saying who." He turned away as a swell of voices signaled that something was about to happen.

Nanoha's head was pounding so painfully she was afraid she would faint. Then she heard the rattle of wooden wheels on the rutted road and knew that the wagon was coming. She began pushing her way through the crowd without thought for good manners or behavior. She must see for herself or go mad!

As she drew closer she saw men lifting blanket-shrouded bodies out of the wagon bed and carrying them into one of the buildings. Her mind refused to register the horror of that image. She struggled up to the side of the wagon and looked in. Her eyes grew wide, and her breath caught painfully in her chest.

Fate lay unconscious on the rough wooden boards, blood matted in her hair and an ugly dark hole in her shirt just below her left shoulder. Her chest and part of the blanket were soaked red. Her lips were white and she was so still. So very still.

"Fate," Nanoha whispered, an eternity of agony in her voice. "Oh no, Fate."

Strangers reached in to gently lift Fate from the wagon, and Nanoha heard her moan faintly. Nanoha bit her lip to stop a cry, her heart twisting to see Fate's pain.

"Let me get a look at her," an irritated voice commanded as a harried looking middle-aged man shoved his way through the press of people. Nanoha recognized Doctor Graham. He looked under Fate's shirt, shook his head worriedly, then looked up into the faces of the townspeople gathered around.

"I need one of you women to help me with her. She's got a bullet in her chest, and if we don't get it out, she's going to die. I can't have somebody fainting when I start digging, so make sure you can take it."

A blond woman with striking maroon eyes moved forward to the doctor's side and looked quickly at Fate's inert form. She met his gaze squarely.

"Let's get going then, Doc," she said calmly. "She's strong, but she ain't made of iron."

The doctor nodded, his face determined. "C'mon, Shamal. We've got some work to do."

Nanoha stood staring after them as they disappeared inside with Fate, feeling helpless and terribly alone.

* * *

A/N: So what do you think will happen? XD Next chapter will be posted tomorrow!


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and its characters, nor do I own this plot since it's directly based on Radclyffe's story of the same title. I just love the story so much and the characters had an uncanny similarity with NanoFate that I had to share this awesome story .. Apologies if I offend anyone.

* * *

**Chapter 11**

Nanoha sat motionless on the same bench where she had been sitting a little more than two months ago when she had first seen Fate.

A lifetime ago, it seemed to her now.

As she watched the door to the doctor's office, hoping for some word, she realized that all she had wanted these last few weeks had been to see Fate again. As soon as Fate had ridden out of town after the roundup, Nanoha missed her. Every day, as she went about her business - learning about her new home and her new responsibilities, helping Lucino at the school, taking the occasional family portrait for new friends and neighbors, even entertaining Yuuno Scrya, she missed her. She missed her easy smile and her gentle way of talking and the way that she made Nanoha feel special. She missed looking at her in her dusty levis and work-dampened shirt, and feeling her own heart race for no apparent reason. She missed the way the sound of Fate's spurs jingling could make her stomach quiver in that oddly nice way. She missed the light touch of Fate's fingers when they brushed over her hand and the warmth it started inside.

She missed her.

Nanoha's mind was blank for long periods, and then suddenly she would remember why she was waiting. Fate was hurt. Her throat tightened and tears threatened to spill. Hours passed, but she had no real sense of the passage of time. The sun grew bright and hung high in the sky, casting a harsh, merciless light over the brown earth of the street. People passed by, some spoke to her, and she nodded automatically. Her eyes remained fixed on the door across the street.

Sometime in the morning a group of men came galloping hard into town and clustered in a roiling pack in the street in front of the doctor's. A man Nanoha had seen with Fate at the roundup raced into the doctor's office while the others paced about outside. He came out a short time later and murmured something to the agitated men crowded around. Now they were sitting on the stairs or leaning against the railings, smoking and waiting, too.

Nanoha struggled for a way to describe emotions that she had no words for. What would she feel, if she never saw Fate again? Without fully understanding it, she knew there would be an emptiness inside of her that would never be filled. She felt connected to Fate in some deep way that she had never experienced before. It can't happen, she said over and over. Not now. Not when I'm just beginning to see.

It took Nanoha several seconds to realize that the door across the street had opened, so far had she drifted into that unbearable place of loss. The blond woman who had volunteered to help the doctor with Fate was talking to the waiting men gathered outside. Nanoha gave a small cry and jumped to her feet.

That woman would know about Fate!

As the woman started slowly down the street, Nanoha hurried after her, the hem of her dress lifted in both hands, higher than was proper, so that it would not trip her. She couldn't be bothered about how she looked now. As Nanoha drew near, the woman's exhaustion became apparent. Her golden hair had fallen from its pins, tumbling in disarray over her bare shoulders. Her emerald green dress, far too revealing for walking about in, was rumpled and stained. Nanoha registered, in a distracted way, that she was quite beautiful.

Nanoha reached a trembling hand and touched the woman's arm.

"Excuse me. I'm sorry," Nanoha, said, her voice wavering. "Can you tell me how Fate is?"

Shamal turned, her eyes bleak. "She's alive, barely."

Nanoha swayed, suddenly dizzy. "Oh, thank God!"

"God had nothing to do with it," Shamal answered bitterly.

"Please," Nanoha persisted, fighting to clear her vision, "could you tell me ..."

Her voice trailed off as spots danced in front of her eyes. The turmoil of the day and the absence of any nourishment were making her light-headed.

Shamal grasped the pale young woman's arm with a strong hand and peered at her closely, trying to remember where she had seen her before, and why she should be so upset. Shamal sighed, too tired to be surprised by anything at the moment.

"Right now I need a drink, and from the looks of you, you could use one, too. Come with me."

Nanoha allowed herself to be led down the street, scarcely noticing their destination. Relief washed through her and all she could see was Fate's face. Shamal took her down an alley and through a side door into the saloon. Shamal pointed to a table in the rear of the deserted room, and Nanoha sank down gratefully.

Shamal walked to the bar and slumped onto a stool. She pushed her hair away from her face wearily.

"Zest, give me a tall whiskey. And a brandy."

Zest poured the drinks and looked at Shamal cautiously. "You want me to get you something to eat, Shamal? You look pretty done in."

Shamal started to shake her head no, and then caught sight of Nanoha's trembling figure. The girl looked like she might swoon any second.

"Maybe a couple of sandwiches."

He nodded, then asked quietly, "Fate gonna make it?"

She looked at him, a lifetime of sorrow written in her expression.

"If there is any justice in this world, she will."

She took the drinks from him, crossed to where Nanoha was sitting, and put the brandy into Nanoha's hands.

"Drink this."

Nanoha looked at it uncomprehendingly, still not herself.

"Come on, now," she said, not unkindly. "Drink it. Then we'll talk."

As she spoke, Shamal took a stiff gulp of her own drink and welcomed the fiery trail it burned down her throat. The pain was much better than the hopelessness she had felt looking at Fate lying naked, a great gaping tear in her, while her blood ran red onto Shamal's hands. Shamal closed her eyes and held the glass tightly, her fingers white.

Nanoha took a swallow. Her eyes widened and she coughed, half choking. Color flooded her face and she seemed to waken, as if from a dream.

"Oh!" she exclaimed.

Shamal opened her eyes and touched Nanoha's hand reassuringly. "First time's the hardest. Drink some more."

Nanoha gasped and took another sip. She straightened up a little and looked intently at Shamal. Her mind was clear although her stomach felt odd. "Would you tell me now?"

Shamal smiled at Nanoha slightly, hearing the steel in her voice and thinking that she was tougher than she first appeared. Shamal had a feeling she might like her under other circumstances.

"Well," Shamal said slowly, "she's pretty torn up but the doc got the bullet out and he said it didn't do damage to any, uh, vital organs."

She shook her head, trying to dispel the image of him probing in Fate's shoulder with cold metal instruments while she held Fate down. How could a person live after something like that was done to her? She was only thankful that Fate didn't seem to have had any awareness of it, only moaning softly as the doc worked.

"And she'll be all right?" Nanoha persisted, her eyes fixed on Shamal's face, looking for the truth.

Shamal sighed and finished her drink at a swallow. "The big problem, he said, was all that blood she lost. If she does all right through the night, she should get well."

"Then it's not over yet," Nanoha whispered softly, feeling something inside her grow hard and cold. "She'll be all right. I know she will."

Shamal looked at the set to Nanoha's jaw and the way her spine stiffened.

'The girl's got spirit, all right,' she thought to herself. She walked to the bar and returned with a bottle, setting it down between them.

"Let's have another drink, sweetie."

Nanoha looked at her and smiled grimly. She held out her hand and said, "My name is Nanoha Takamachi, by the way."

"Figured it might be," Shamal said dryly, and took her hand.

* * *

Nanoha looked up as a man approached, his face set and grim. It was the man she had seen with Fate at the roundup, the one who had been waiting outside the doctor's office. He sat down across from Shamal and nodded a weary greeting.

"I want to thank you, Shamal. For what you did for Fate." His voice was very soft for such a big man.

"No need to thank me, Zafira. Not when it's Fate," Shamal said quietly.

She turned to Nanoha. "This here is Zafira Wolfram, Fate's foreman. Zafira - Miss Nanoha Takamachi."

"Hello, Zafira."

"Ma'am," he said absently, still looking intently at Shamal.

He continued angrily, "The damn doctor won't let me in there, Shamal, and he won't say no more than that she's alive. What's going on?"

"I don't know much more than you do. We're just waiting." Her expression hardened. "Did they catch those bastards yet, Zafira?"

Nanoha was shocked at first at the undisguised hatred in Shamal's voice, and then realized that she felt the same way. She looked at Zafira expectantly.

"Ain't but one to catch, Shamal," Zafira said, laughing darkly. "Fate got one herself, with both of them firing on her, too. And from the looks of things, she got a piece of the other fella before - before he got her."

His voice trembled and he looked away. He swallowed several times before he added, "I sure don't want nothing to happen to that girl, Shamal. I promised Lucian I'd look after her and, and- I think it's her been looking after me."

Shamal put her hand on his shoulder and smiled a little. "You know how hard-headed Fate can be, Zafira. I don't imagine she's going to leave things at the ranch up to you."

Zafira's grateful glance bespoke his thanks. He took a deep breath, suddenly looked determined. "You know, I'd best get back out there and see to things, or she'll be madder than a hornet when she gets home."

"I'd keep an eye on your men, too, Zafira," Shamal suggested sagely. "Fate wouldn't want them doing anything crazy if they catch this fella."

"No need to worry about the boys," he growled, his eyes hard. "When we get him, I'll take care of him myself."

Shamal regarded him solemnly, then nodded. "Be careful."

"Thanks, Shamal."

Nanoha watched him go. "Would he? Kill the man?"

"Probably," Shamal said, studying Nanoha closely.

Nanoha was silent for a long moment. Then she said with quiet conviction, "If I had a gun, Shamal, I'd be ready to do it, too."

"Might not be a bad idea, even if you're not fixing to shoot someone," Shamal suggested. "Learning how to shoot, I mean."

That was something that had never crossed Nanoha's mind, although she had admired Fate's apparent ability to protect herself. She looked thoughtful, but did not reply. Instead she examined Shamal's face carefully, realizing fully for the first time how drawn and tired she looked. Shamal had been everyone's strength all day.

"Shamal," Nanoha said kindly, "why don't you go and get some rest. I'll wait here for any news."

Shamal gaped at her as if she could not believe her ears.

"Lord, girl! Do you know where you are? And who I am, for that matter? Your folks'll take a fit when they hear where you spent the afternoon! You can't stay here!"

That set look returned to Nanoha's face.

"You helped save Fate's life - that's what I know about you. And so far, this place suits me fine. Just fine."

She placed her hand gently on Shamal's, and looked intently into her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere until we know. Please let me do something, Shamal. I can't sit at home and talk about foolishness. Please."

Shamal gave in to her tiredness. "All right, honey. But you stay back here away from the bar. The boys are gonna be mean tonight, and I don't want you hearing all that talk."

Nanoha's eyes blazed, and she said bitterly, "Do you think words could bother me after seeing Fate like that this morning?"

Shamal nodded silently. She understood just what Nanoha was feeling, because she felt the same way. She also wondered if Nanoha knew what it meant.

* * *

Shamal Awakened to an insistent rapping on her door.

"Shamal, Shamal - wake up. The doctor sent word for you to come! Shamal!"

Shamal sat up, pulling the ties of her bodice together hastily.

"Come in, Nanoha. I'm awake."

Nanoha hurried in, her face flushed.

"What time is it?" Shamal asked as she hurried about the room, gathering her things and pushing her hair into some kind of order.

"A little before ten."

Shamal stared at her. "Lord, girl! Your parents will have the Marshal out searching for you."

Nanoha shook her head. "No, they won't. I know my father won't go home until there's word from the Marshal about the outlaws, so I sent Chrono to tell my mother I was staying in town at the news office."

"There'll be the devil to pay for that, Nanoha," Shamal said admiringly.

"That may be, but I don't care." She held the door open, too anxious to talk any more. "Hurry."

They rushed down the hall, the sound of the dancehall piano and loud male voices echoing up the stairwell from the bar below. Behind the closed doors on either side of the narrow corridor, muted laughter and low moans filtered through the thin walls. On any other day of her life, Nanoha would have been shocked to hear what was happening in those rooms. She didn't think anything would ever shock her again.

They left through the second floor door to the stairs into the alley, the same way Nanoha had come with Fate their first afternoon together. The streets were strangely empty, many of the men still out riding with the Marshal's posse. As they passed the newspaper office, Shiro Takamachi stepped out, exclaiming with surprise at the sight of his daughter.

"Nanoha! What are you doing in town this late?"

"I'm on my way to the doctor's," she explained. "I'll be home later."

He stared at her, open-mouthed. Nanoha thought she heard Shamal chuckle faintly beside her.

"But Nanoha," he protested faintly, "without an escort .."

"Don't worry, Father. I'm fine," she said as she hurried on.

"Wait for me there," he called after them. "I'll take you home!"

As they approached the door to the doctor's office, they slowed abruptly and stared at each other. Nanoha's eyes were suddenly wide and frightened. Shamal's mouth was set in a grim line. Reaching out, Shamal took Nanoha's hand.

"Come on, honey. Let's go in."

Nanoha nodded and together they entered the small anteroom. The doctor, looking weary and rumpled, sat behind the scarred wooden desk. Nanoha held her breath, waiting for his words like a sentence of judgment.

"She's better, Shamal. Weak, but better."

Nanoha gave a little gasp and sat down quickly on one of the hard, straight-backed chairs that lined the wall opposite the doctor, her limbs suddenly refusing to support her.

The doctor continued speaking. "She's not well enough to move yet, but tomorrow I think we ought to get her over to your place. Can you look after her there for a while? It'll be a few days before she's likely to wake up, and the wound'll need tending."

"Sure, Doc," Shamal said immediately. "Won't be the first time we've turned a room upstairs into a sickroom."

He nodded as he recalled all the times that Shamal had quietly provided a bed and food and care to some unfortunate with nowhere else to go, and with precious little thanks for it, too. He had always thought that Shamal was a damn fine woman. Too bad some of the good townspeople didn't think so.

"Doctor," Nanoha asked, her voice low but steady, "may I see her please?"

The doctor replied in a startled voice, "But she's not awake yet, my dear. She wouldn't know you were there."

"I don't care about that," Nanoha insisted. "Just for a moment. Please." Her voice was firm.

"But-" he began.

Shamal took a deep breath, thinking how Nanoha had waited all day, pale and patient and determined.

Knowing she'd probably regret it, she said, "Can't do no harm, can it, Doc?"

He looked from one to the other; each regarded him steadily, their eyes never wavering. Strange pair, a young society lady and a lady of the evening. But he'd seen stranger things out here in this godless country, and many things far worse. He decided that he was no match for the two of them together.

"Not more than a minute," he relented. "And don't wake her."

* * *

An oil lamp in one corner, turned down low, cast flickering shadows throughout the small windowless room. A single iron bed stood in the center of the narrow space, a straight-backed wooden chair nearby. The sound of low, raspy breathing broke the deep silence. As her eyes adjusted, Nanoha made out the still shape of Fate's body beneath the covers. She pulled her lower lip hard between her teeth to stop its trembling, and quietly stepped to the side of the bed.

Fate's eyes were closed, her face pale and impossibly defenseless. A bandage covered the right side of her head, and the sight of a bright spot of blood in its center tore at Nanoha's heart. She was reminded that Fate, for all her strength, was vulnerable, too. Nanoha watched the slow rise of Fate's chest beneath the thin blanket and realized how quickly life could change, forever.

She reached out and softly stroked Fate's cheek.

"It's Nanoha, Fate," she whispered softly. "You're going to be all right."

She lifted Fate's cool fingers and cradled them in her hand, stroking the work-roughened palm gently. "You must sleep, and get well."

She wanted to make Fate well; she wanted to give Fate her strength and shield her while she healed. Nanoha felt so helpless that her chest ached. Her throat tightened with a longing so intense she had to close her eyes against the pain, drawing comfort from the steady sound of Fate breathing.

Finally, she leaned forward and brushed her lips gently over Fate's cheek.

"Rest now," she whispered.

When she returned to the room where Shamal waited with the doctor, Nanoha said, "I'd like to help you look after her, Shamal. You can't possibly do it all yourself."

Shamal looked at her steadily for a moment, wanting to refuse, not entirely certain why.

"I don't think I could keep you away, could I?" she asked quietly.

"No, Shamal. You couldn't."

Shamal nodded silently. Some things would have to be settled later.

* * *

"Shiro," Momoko Takamachi began in an agitated voice after Nanoha had made her announcement and gone up to bed, "you simply must speak to Nanoha. It is just not fitting for her to be spending time in that - that place. And with those women! She has her reputation to think of!"

Her husband frowned, and replied shortly, "For heaven's sake, Momoko, she wants to help take care of a woman who was - injured -saving people's lives."

He thought it best not to remind his wife that Fate had been shot. Momoko was already distraught enough.

"No one is going to think anything evil about Nanoha for that!"

Momoko was hurt by the harsh tone in his voice and tears came to her eyes.

"I'm only thinking of Nanoha!"

Shiro went to his wife and put his hands on her shoulders.

"I know you are, dear, but you must try to understand. Life is hard and women out here have to be different. All of us must do things we never had to do before. Nanoha understands that. She is doing the proper thing."

Momoko looked at him, clearly unconvinced. "What she needs is to be settled and safe. I'm not at all sure that this place is good for Nanoha. Not sure at all."

He sighed, "This isn't the usual situation, Momoko. I'm sure that Nanoha will fine. You said yourself that you liked Yuuno Scrya."

Momoko rested her head on his shoulder, her anger draining away.

"Oh Shiro, I'm so worried about her. She seems to have changed somehow since we came here. I feel like I hardly know her."

He smoothed her hair, holding her carefully.

"Nanoha is a good child, Momoko. Let's give her a little time, and if you still feel she's not on the proper course, we'll talk about what needs to be done. I'm sure that you know what's best for her."

Momoko nodded, wishing fervently that Nanoha had stayed behind in Cranagan.

* * *

A/N: Next chapter will be tomorrow... I think I should just stop saying this -_-.

We're halfway nearly done with this story and if we go at this pace, we'll meet the last chapter next week... maybe XD.

Thank you to those who have reviewed =D, I feel really happy that you all enjoyed this story. Thanks once again!


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and its characters, nor do I own this plot since it's directly based on Radclyffe's story of the same title. I just love the story so much and the characters had an uncanny similarity with NanoFate that I had to share this awesome story .. Apologies if I offend anyone.

* * *

**Chapter 12**

For a long time there was a horrible pain somewhere inside her, and when it began, her mind retreated. She slept. While she slept, she dreamed. She wandered over vast barren prairies and through dark mountain passes, searching for a place to rest. Each time she stopped, she waited, lonely and so cold, for the comfort that never came. She drifted in and out of consciousness, dimly aware that she was not alone. Soft voices soothed her and softer hands placed cool cloths on her burning forehead, bathing the fever from her skin. Gentle, insistent hands held her and forced nourishment between her lips. She struggled less and less with each touch, letting herself be healed. In the end, it was hunger that woke her.

Fate opened her eyes and turned her face slowly toward the open window. She blinked against the first assault of sunlight, even as she welcomed the banishment of the dark that had surrounded her for so long. A breeze gently fluttered the curtains. Nanoha was sitting before the window, a book open in her lap.

Fate lay silently for a moment, studying her. She didn't appear to be reading. She stared down into the street, her expression distant. Wisps of auburn hair, too thick to be contained, framed her face. Her full lips were unsmiling and there were dark smudges under her eyes. She looked worn and weary, and older than Fate remembered. Even in her exhaustion, Fate thought her beautiful.

"How long have you been here, Nanoha?" Fate said quietly.

Nanoha gave a cry, turning to Fate, her eyes wide. What she saw was what she had prayed for, every moment of the endless days since the wagon had carried Fate into town:

Fate, her deep burgundy eyes clear and strong.

Fate, perfect lips curled into a faint smile of greeting.

Fate…

The resolve that had sustained Nanoha through near sleepless nights and days of worry dissolved with the swift rush of relief, and tears sprang to her eyes. She whispered Fate's name, holding herself tightly, and cried.

Fate waited for the storm to pass, wishing she could comfort her.

"Nanoha," she said gently as Nanoha's quiet sobs abated.

She made one feeble attempt to sit up, but quickly abandoned the idea when a searing pain ran down her arm. She gritted her teeth for a moment, then tried again.

"Nanoha."

Nanoha swiped at the tears on her cheek and came to Fate's side, smiling tremulously.

"Don't try to get up."

"Don't worry," Fate gasped, leaning back on the pillow. "I'll save that for a bit later."

Nanoha brushed her hair back, but the heavy locks would not be tamed.

"I must look a fright!" she said, suddenly self-conscious.

"No," Fate said seriously, "You're beautiful."

Nanoha colored slightly, but her eyes shone with pleasure.

She asked tenderly, "Are you in pain, Fate?"

Fate forced a grin. "Not as bad as the time the bull ran me down when I was ten."

She held Nanoha's eyes for a long moment, marveling at their bright beauty, and quickly forget the throbbing in her shoulder.

"How long have I been here?" she asked at last.

"Almost a week."

A week during which she and Shamal and several of Shamal's 'girls' had taken turns sitting by Fate's bed, changing her nightshirt when she soaked it through with sweat, replacing the bloody bandages and cleaning the terrible wounds, forcing her to drink and soothing her when she had cried out in the throes of some dream terror. Nanoha had come every day, despite Momoko's increasingly vocal objections, and she often sent the others away, preferring to look after Fate herself.

All, except Shamal.

Shamal would often come in when Nanoha was there, to simply stand at the foot of the bed and watch Fate sleep. When she was satisfied that Fate was all right, she would disappear into the night. Where she went and what she did were none of Nanoha's affair, although Nanoha was fairly sure that she knew precisely what Shamal was doing. Nanoha found that she didn't care. Fate had almost been killed. Realizing that if it hadn't been a gunshot it might have been a stampeding horse or a rockslide up in the hills, Nanoha suddenly had a new appreciation of what truly mattered in life, and it certainly wasn't judging what someone else did to survive.

"The doctor says you'll be fine, but you need to rest," Nanoha assured her.

"Damn, I feel weak as a kitten," Fate frowned. "And I'm not going to get any stronger laying up here."

Fate tried again to push herself up again. A wave of dizziness rolled over her, followed quickly by a fierce surge of pain. She groaned and struggled not to faint. Nanoha reached for her without thinking, moving onto the edge of the bed and supporting Fate's shivering body against her side with a protective arm around her shoulders. She held Fate's face to her breast, stroking the damp hair back from Fate's forehead.

Fate trembled and Nanoha caught her breath as something inside of her turned over.

With an effort, she said quietly, "You can't get up. Not just yet."

Fate relaxed into Nanoha, too weak to protest, and Nanoha just held her.

Nanoha had never been this close to another human being before, other than her parents. Nothing she had ever imagined had prepared her for the wave of tenderness that swept through her. She could scarcely breathe.

"Well," Shamal said acerbically from the doorway behind them. "I guess our patient's getting better."

She carried a tray to the dresser before turning to the women on the bed.

Nanoha released Fate gently and stepped quietly to one side. She met Shamal's eyes squarely but could not read the expression in her maroon gaze. Then Shamal looked away from her toward Fate, and her face softened.

"How are you, Lightning?" Shamal asked, her voice husky.

Fate worked up a smile. "I'm downright embarrassed, Shamal. Letting a couple of no-goods get the best of me, and causing all this trouble!"

Shamal smiled fondly. "Fate, the only trouble you would have caused is if you'd up and died on us!"

Fate grinned a little sheepishly, but the pain had taken its toll. "I can't seem to stay awake," she complained weakly.

Shamal turned to Nanoha, a hint of challenge in her eyes. "I suspect we'd both better go and let Fate rest a bit."

"Yes." Nanoha answered slowly.

* * *

Fate awakened the next day to discover that the sun was already high in the sky, and she had lost nearly another day. She didn't mind so much when she found that she was not alone.

"What is that you're reading, Nanoha?" Fate asked, managing to sit up this time with much less pain.

"The sonnets of Mr. William Shakespeare." Nanoha placed her finger on the page and lightly closed the cover on the leather-bound book. She looked across the room at Fate, heartened to see how much better she appeared. There was color in her face and a sparkle in her eyes that Nanoha had feared she might never see again.

"Do you know them?"

Fate shook her head. "I've heard of him, but I'm not much for poetry. I'd rather have a story, I guess."

Nanoha smiled. "Every time I read one, I find something new to enjoy, even though I know most of them by heart."

Fate nodded, contemplating Nanoha's words seriously. Finally she ventured, "Like always being surprised at how pretty the sunset is, even after seeing a thousand of them."

"Yes," Nanoha said quietly, her gaze meeting Fate's tenderly, "exactly like that."

Fate flushed, having never known such quiet communion in the rough world of cowboys. For some reason, it did funny things to her breathing, and it wasn't from something broken, but from something right.

Nanoha's hands trembled as they held tightly to the thin volume in her lap, knowing that Fate saw her as no one ever had. To others she had always been just another young woman with her future predetermined by virtue of her sex and status. Her father had allowed her to be different than other young girls, but only to a point. She might read in the college library, but he had not suggested she attend classes there. Fate seemed content to let her simply be. The silence grew heavy as their eyes held, two women united not by common experience, but by a common sensitivity that drew them together more surely than convention or class.

Eventually Fate, comforted in body and soul, closed her eyes and slept again.

Nanoha, her heart full, smiled at her and returned to the poems.

* * *

Fate pulled the curtain aside, looking down the street for Nanoha. It was well past the time that Nanoha usually arrived in the morning, and Fate was starting to worry. It was only a mile or so from Nanoha's home into town, and almost the entire route was well populated, but still she was a woman out alone. Ordinarily Fate wouldn't have been so anxious, but her nerves were jangling as she considered what she was about to do.

"Well, you're up and dressed awfully early," a voice behind her observed.

Fate turned. Shamal stood just inside the door, still in her dressing gown.

"I want to go home, Shamal," Fate said without preamble.

"Now Fate," Shamal said, working to keep her voice even, "the Doc said you couldn't ride yet. You know darn well if you go back to Al Hazard that's the first thing you'll want to do!"

Fate leaned against the window and muttered under her breath. Her face was thinner, but her color had returned.

"Shamal, I just can't stand it anymore! Lord knows what's going on out there! Zafira is a good man, and I know it. But that's my ranch!"

Fate paced the room impatiently, frowning. She just wouldn't be right until she got out into the air again, out of town!

"It won't be much longer, Fate," Shamal tried again. Lord, you couldn't tell these cowboys anything!

"If you open up that tear in your shoulder, you could be in real trouble."

"Shamal, I swear!" Fate fumed, pushing her hands into the pockets of her levis. "I just don't feel healthy in here. And as kind as you've been, I feel like I'm fettered."

Shamal went to her, laughing, and put her hands on Fate's tense shoulders. She had to stand on tiptoe to look into Fate's eyes, and she leaned against Fate lightly for support. She shook her head, smiling at the perplexed expression in Fate's eyes.

"Oh, I know you're grateful, Lightning. And I know just what you're feeling. I've known a lot of cowboys in my time, and I know better than to try to tame one. But if you go, you'd better promise to look after yourself. You ain't seen nothing til you've seen me mad!"

Fate smiled down at Shamal and put her hands gently on Shamal's waist.

"I want to thank you, Shamal, for everything you've done for me. I know how bad off I was, and I owe you my life, I guess."

"I had help," Shamal acknowledged as she tilted her head back and searched Fate's face.

Suddenly serious, she said softly, "Something special would have gone out of my life if I lost you, Fate."

She pressed closer, sliding her arms around Fate's shoulders, and put her lips gently on Fate's mouth.

Nanoha pushed open the door and let out a startled cry of surprise. She stared, speechless, at Fate holding Shamal in her arms.

Fate looked up, quietly releasing Shamal. The kiss had taken her by surprise, and she was momentarily stunned by the softness of Shamal's lips. She remembered dreaming, that night in the bath, of kissing lips as soft as those.

But it had not been Shamal she dreamed of, and, with a hint of relief, she said, "Why, Nanoha! Come in."

"I'm sorry. I should have knocked," Nanoha said coolly. Nanoha's first flush of embarrassment at coming upon such an intimate scene was quickly replaced by something else. She wasn't sure with whom, or why, but the sight of Shamal in Fate's arms made her angry.

Fate smiled, innocently pleased to see her at last, the kiss forgotten.

"I've been wondering where you were!"

Nanoha stared from one to the other of them, confused. Fate's greeting was warm and welcoming, the way it always was. She chided herself for making too much of what she had seen, but a feeling of disquiet still lingered.

Shamal stepped slowly away from Fate, turning toward Nanoha with an enigmatic smile.

"Yes, Nanoha. Do come in. I was just, uh, saying goodbye to Lightning here."

"Goodbye!" Nanoha cried, her anger forgotten.

She had consciously avoided thinking about what would happen when Fate was healed, because she knew that Fate would leave. Then, Nanoha feared, she would be left as she had been before, alone in a life she found increasingly oppressive.

Her heart sinking, she repeated softly, "Goodbye."

Shamal touched Fate lightly on the arm as she headed for the door.

"Don't forget to come calling now, Fate."

Nanoha turned sharply to Fate, who was awkwardly trying to strap on her gun belt without using her injured arm.

"What are you doing?" Nanoha asked, fear making her tone sharper than she intended.

Fate looked up in surprise. "Why, I'm going home, Nanoha."

Nanoha put the parcel of books and basket of food she had been carrying on the dresser and crossed to Fate.

"You'll hurt yourself," she admonished, struggling not to raise her voice.

Fate held up a hand when she saw the frown on Nanoha's face.

"Now don't you go at me, too! Zafira is coming in the buckboard so I won't have to ride."

"You haven't been out of bed but for a day, Fate," Nanoha said softly, reaching around Fate's waist with both arms to settle the wide holster on Fate's narrow hips.

She stood close to her, threading the worn tongue through the silver buckle, fumbling slightly with the clasp.

Fate went very still as Nanoha worked, acutely aware of Nanoha's fingers brushing over her legs. Nanoha's hair smelled fresh, like flower petals ripe with spring pollen.

"I promise to lie low when I get home," Fate insisted. "But I need to get home, Nanoha."

"How does this thing tie?" Nanoha asked, her head bent as she studied the thong hanging from the holster.

"Around my leg," Fate answered a bit hoarsely. She was starting to shake, but she didn't feel ill. She stiffened as Nanoha's hands encircled her thigh. She felt again as she had in the dream, stirred deep inside.

"Oh," she murmured in surprise as swift heat hit her in the stomach. Suddenly unsteady, she placed her good hand on Nanoha's shoulder to keep her balance.

"Nanoha," she breathed uncertainly.

Nanoha stood quickly, reaching for her. Fate's hands came around her waist.

They stood, a whisper apart, while the room and reality receded, leaving only the two of them in a place out of time. Fate leaned her forehead to Nanoha's and closed her eyes, content to rest. Nanoha rubbed her palms gently up and down Fate's back, liking the hard strength of her. Somewhere out in the hall a woman laughed.

"You're not well yet Fate," Nanoha whispered, her lips close to Fate's cheek.

"I know," Fate conceded, her voice trembling. "But I will be, Nanoha. I promise."

Nanoha sighed, half in anger and half in exasperation. She leaned back in the circle of Fate's arms, her sapphire eyes probing Fate's wine-red ones. She took a step back when she saw that the decision was made, breaking their embrace.

"Fate Testarossa, you are the most stubborn woman I have ever met!"

Fate nodded, a grin flickering at the corner of her mouth, and she moved to the side of her bed where her valise stood open.

"It's not funny," Nanoha snapped, but she couldn't look at her and hold onto her anger.

She thought Fate was never more attractive than she was now, leaning against the bedpost, her arms folded across her chest, one leg crossed in front of the other, all leather and worn denim and cocksureness. Nanoha felt her face grow hot and she knew Fate saw it.

Fate recognized the lingering blaze of anger in Nanoha's eyes, and saw the worry there, too.

Seriously, she asked, "What is it, Nanoha? Have I done something to upset you?"

"I just can't bear to see you hurt," Nanoha whispered. "Will you be careful, Fate? Please?"

"Of course," Fate answered softly.

She closed the satchel and lifted it in her right hand, wishing she could erase the unhappiness that still clouded Nanoha's face.

"Come visit, Nanoha," she said suddenly, realizing that she didn't want to say goodbye.

The best thing about being here had been seeing Nanoha every day and the peaceful hours they had spent just quietly talking. For the first time it occurred to her how lonely the ranch would be now.

"Come out to the ranch one day soon."

Nanoha smiled. "You did promise me a tour."

The glow Fate's suggestion had brought to her eyes disappeared just as quickly.

"But it's an hour's ride, isn't it?"

Fate nodded. "Less on a good horse, but you'll need a buckboard. Have Chrono bring you around. He's always itching to spend time with Zafira and the boys. I don't imagine he'd need much prompting."

"I will," Nanoha affirmed, thinking that she intended to have Chrono do more than drive her. "This week?"

"Yes," Fate said as she walked to the door.

As an afterthought, she added, "Will you do something for me, Nanoha?"

Nanoha caught her breath, feeling in that moment that Fate could ask her anything and she would agree.

"You know I will, Fate."

"It's Shamal."

"Shamal?" Nanoha echoed, not understanding.

"You're the only friend, besides me, that Shamal really has in this town. I don't get by nearly enough and I expect it gets hard for her with only cowboys for company. Will you look in on her now and then?"

"Of course I will, Fate," Nanoha promised, wondering if she and Shamal were friends after all.

* * *

A/N: Yep, no comment. My brain's burnt XD. Until next time~


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and its characters, nor do I own this plot since it's directly based on Radclyffe's story of the same title. I just love the story so much and the characters had an uncanny similarity with NanoFate that I had to share this awesome story .. Apologies if I offend anyone.

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Fate sat on her front porch, her boots up on the rail, oiling the stock of her rifle with more vigor than it required. Across the yard she could make out Zafira and several of the men cutting tree lengths for fence posts. She muttered colorfully to herself about foremen who didn't have an ounce of respect.

Zafira had finally lost his temper after the third time he had to take the saw away from her, and told her he was sorry he ever went to pick her up.

"Would of left you there in that damn hotel, if I'da known you'd be this much trouble to have around!" he complained.

"You won't be worth nothing the rest of the year if you don't let that shoulder heal. And I don't plan on doin' your share of the work forever, so just let that damn saw be!"

She knew that he was right, but after three days at home, she was chaffing under the weight of inactivity. She had worked every day of her life in some capacity, with the exception of Sundays, when even nonbelievers took a few hours' rest. There was work to be done but most of it required physical strength, which left her sitting on her porch or pacing a path outside the corrals watching the men work her horses.

She saw the clouds of dust before she heard the clatter of wheels on the road to her house. She was on her feet in an instant, straining to make out the driver and passenger. When she saw who it was, she bounded down the steps to meet the buckboard pulling up in her yard.

"Nanoha!" she cried. She walked alongside the wagon, looking up at Nanoha in undisguised delight, while Chrono slowed the team.

"You've come!"

Nanoha looked down from her perch on the high seat, almost too happy for words. She forgot completely the struggle she had had with her parents to get permission for Chrono to take her about in the buckboard. Properly, the two of them should have been chaperoned, but even Momoko acknowledged that no one in town would object to the Harlaown boy escorting Nanoha for her own safety. And since Nanoha insisted that she needed the buckboard to carry her camera while visiting some of her new friends who lived outside of town, her parents had agreed to the arrangement. It had taken very little convincing to get Chrono to take her to Fate's ranch.

"You look wonderful," Nanoha said, pleased to see the healthy color in Fate's face.

"How are you?"

Fate grinned and reached up as Nanoha stepped onto the running board to climb down. She wasn't thinking about her shoulder. She didn't seem to be able to think of much of anything except Nanoha when they were together.

"I'm better now. Let me get you down from there."

Nanoha frowned, placing one hand on Fate's right shoulder to steady herself, holding her skirt up with the other.

"You can't lift me. Let Chrono."

Fate merely laughed and slipped her right arm around Nanoha's waist, pulling Nanoha into her arms, supporting most of Nanoha's weight on the side away from her injured shoulder. Fate held her for just a moment, surprised by her firm suppleness. Then she gently released her.

"I'm fine," she repeated, her eyes on Nanoha's flushed face, thinking how much better she felt whenever Nanoha was near.

She looked over at Chrono, who had jumped down and was standing by the back of the wagon, hands stuffed in the pockets of his trousers, looking uncertain.

"Zafira's over in the corral behind the main barn with some of the men," Fate said.

"Why don't you go on over."

"Sure thing, Fate," he exclaimed, looking relieved.

"I'll be back in a bit, Nanoha." he added as he hurried away.

Nanoha nodded, unable to take her eyes from Fate. Fate wasn't wearing her usual workday vest and chaps, and the levis and soft cotton shirt accentuated her slender body. Nanoha knew very well what Fate's body looked like under those clothes, but for the first time she was thinking of her not as a patient, but as a vital, attractive woman.

Nanoha realized that she was staring and said shyly, "It's so good to see you."

"Yes," Fate replied, finding it hard to do anything but look at her.

Finally, she asked, "Would you like to walk around a little? See the ranch?"

Nanoha slipped her hand through Fate's arm. "Oh, yes. Please."

Almost as an afterthought, she added, "And I was hoping that you could teach me how to drive the buckboard, too."

Fate stopped dead. "The buckboard?"

"I can't very well drag Chrono out here every time I want to come visiting, now can I?"

"Well, you can't drive out here alone, either, especially unarmed," Fate said with finality. She began walking again toward the horse barns.

"I thought that I'd save the shooting lessons until the next visit," Nanoha remarked calmly.

Fate glanced at her quickly, saw the look of determination in her eyes, and grinned.

"We'll let your hands heal from the blisters you're gonna get handling that team before we start in with the Winchester."

Nanoha nodded. "That's sounds quite reasonable." Then she smiled at Fate, an excited smile so brilliant that Fate was lost.

"I'll show you the brood mares down at the corral, then we'll take the buckboard out to the north pasture where the yearlings are summering," Fate announced.

"Don't see why you can't drive."

When at length they returned to the shade of Fate's porch, cool drinks in hand, Nanoha had seen most of the Al Hazard ranch within easy riding distance of the house. She had also discovered that driving the buckboard was quite a bit easier than controlling the heavy wagon she and her family had traveled west in. There had been times during the trip when her father needed to lever the wagon's wheels from some mud laden trench or to lead the horses by hand through a dangerous stretch, and Nanoha had taken the reins. She had loved the excitement of handling the team then, and she loved the freedom that it would give her now.

"Try this," Fate said, handing Nanoha a tin of some thick yellow salve that smelled surprisingly like honey.

"It's so peaceful here," Nanoha remarked, smearing the ointment over the sore spots on her palms. Fate's gloves had protected her some, but she wouldn't want her mother to see these blisters!

She placed the tin on the rail and surveyed the slowly rising expanse of hills that climbed steeply toward the mountains edging the horizon. A stream ran in a ribbon of blue across the golden brown flatland. The gently undulating plains were marked here and there by patches of greener grass and clusters of trees. As she turned her head, she caught sight of Fate's face in profile. She thought how much Fate was like her land, bold and strong and sure.

"Beautiful."

Fate nodded. "Yes."

"Do you ever get lonely?" Nanoha asked, wondering if perhaps she were the only one who longed for something more.

Fate met her questioning gaze.

"Sometimes." she said quietly. "Sometimes I miss you."

Nanoha smiled, feeling far, far less alone.

* * *

As the days passed, Fate's strength returned. Her shoulder healed, and she could finally ride again. From sunup to sundown, she kept busy with the ever-present demands of the ranch, but when evening came, she stood on the porch surrounded by silence, feeling the disappointment of another day when Nanoha had not come. Sleep remained an elusive respite, and she grew weary in body and soul.

One morning she decided to survey the creek where she meant to build a dam. There was a small hollow between two wooded knolls that would make a fine natural shelter for the animals to winter. All it needed was water. The day was warm and she let Bardiche have his head, riding low over his neck as they flew across the countryside. Nearing the hill overlooking the gully, she saw figures moving under the trees. Rustlers were not uncommon and she approached slowly, one hand casually on her gun belt.

Nanoha had been watching the rider race across the flatlands, and she knew long before she could see her face that it was Fate. She couldn't mistake her lean figure or graceful seat on the galloping horse for anyone else.

As Fate drew closer, Nanoha saw the wary tension in her face. Yuuno Scrya napped contentedly beside her, lulled to sleep by the effects of a hearty lunch and the warm sun. She placed her hand gently on his shoulder and shook him as Fate rode up to them.

"Fate!" Nanoha cried, elated to see her.

She had tried for days to convince her father to let her take the buckboard out alone, but all her arguing had been to no avail. She wanted desperately to visit Fate again, but Chrono had been needed to at the newspaper office and could not accompany her. To complete her frustration, she could no longer politely refuse Yuuno's repeated invitations for an afternoon drive, and so she had found herself in the only place she wanted to be, on Al Hazard ranch, with precisely the wrong person. It had been agony sitting for hours with Yuuno, making casual conversation while her mind was on Fate.

"Hello, Nanoha," Fate replied, her voice tight as she looked at the man slowly sitting up beside Nanoha. Her glance quickly surveyed the picnic lunch and Nanoha's hand on Yuuno's shoulder, and she flushed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother you. I didn't know who you were."

Yuuno, awake now, smiled in a rather superior way.

"Oh, not at all, Miss Testarossa! After all, we are trespassing, so to speak!" He slipped his arm possessively around Nanoha's waist.

Fate stared at him coldly, her eyes impenetrable.

"Nanoha is always welcome on my land. I think she knows that."

She tipped her hat slightly to Nanoha and said tersely, "Good day then."

Before Nanoha could answer, Fate whirled Bardiche around and galloped away. Nanoha shook Yuuno's arm off, staring after Fate, her heart sinking. She had hurt her, and that was the last thing she ever meant to do. She barely heard Yuuno as he informed her that he had news of some import to discuss. All she could hear was the receding thunder of hooves and the fading jingle of spurs.

* * *

That evening, sitting with Yuuno and her parents in the parlor, Nanoha was especially uneasy. Yuuno's polite but possessive manner was becoming more difficult to bear, and his subtle but persistent caresses harder to avoid. The longer she spent trying to act as if nothing were wrong, the more certain she became that she needed to make a decision. Something must be done, but she couldn't help but feel that there was some vital point she did not understand. When she could bear the social pleasantries and forced cheeriness no longer, she pleaded a headache and escaped to the quiet of her room.

Now she stared into the darkness, struggling to understand her feelings. Not being able to see Fate these past weeks had been an agony in itself, but to finally see her with Yuuno by her side had been even worse. She had not been able to tell Fate how much she had missed her. The pain in Fate's eyes that afternoon haunted her. When Fate had ridden away, Nanoha feared that her heart might break. She needed help, and she knew of only one place to go.

Nanoha hesitated outside Shamal's door, her confidence suddenly waning. When she had awakened early after a restless night, it had seemed so clear to her. Now that she was there, she wasn't so certain anymore. Finally she forced herself to knock.

"Nanoha!" Shamal said with surprise when she answered the tap on her door. The sun had barely risen, and since she kept late hours, she had barely been to bed. She tied her robe and gestured Nanoha into her room.

"What is it?"

"Can I talk with you, Shamal?" Nanoha asked, standing awkwardly just inside the door.

She had never been in Shamal's bedroom before, and the sudden intimacy of the moment embarrassed her.

"Of course," Shamal replied, gesturing to two chairs on either side of a small dressing table.

"Sit down."

Nanoha sat quickly, afraid that she might suddenly lose her resolve and run. Shamal's sharp eyes took in the tremor in Nanoha's hands and the uneasiness in her expression. She pulled a chair close.

"What is it, Nanoha?" she asked softly.

Tears brimmed behind Nanoha's lashes. "Shamal, Yuuno intends to speak to my father about marriage."

Shamal looked at her intently, not particularly surprised. There wasn't much going on around town that she didn't eventually hear about. She had hoped that the rumors about Yuuno and Nanoha were true and that there was a match in the making. But looking at Nanoha now, she began to doubt it.

"You don't look too happy about it, Nanoha. I always thought that's what a girl like you would want. I should think he'll make a good catch, well-respected and responsible and all that."

Bitterly Nanoha said, "Oh, you're quite right. He is a fine man, and I have nothing against him. But-"

Her voice trailed off, and she struggled for the words.

"But what, honey?" Shamal said gently.

"I don't love him!"

Shamal laughed, although there was an edge to it.

"Do you think you'll be the first woman to make a good match with a man she doesn't love? If he provides for you and doesn't mistreat you or disgrace you, you may find after a while you'll love him. The heart does funny things, sometimes. And if not, you'll be no different than a lot of women and better off than many."

"I don't want to spend my life with someone I don't love," Nanoha insisted.

Shamal eyed her sharply.

"Love doesn't put a roof over your head, Nanoha, or feed you, or earn you respect from your neighbors. I know."

"I won't marry him just for that," Nanoha said with finality.

"Then wait for a fellow more to your choosing," Shamal acquiesced, having heard that stubborn tone in Nanoha's voice before.

"You're young yet."

Nanoha looked at Shamal and said in a low voice, "What if - what if there's someone else?"

Shamal had been expecting something like this, but the girl's honesty surprised her.

"Is there someone else, Nanoha?"

Nanoha nodded slowly, relief softening her tense features.

"Yes."

"Who is it?" Shamal asked, needing to hear the words. Maybe she was wrong. Because if she wasn't, she didn't know quite what she would say.

"Fate."

Shamal sighed, closing her eyes briefly. When she opened them, Nanoha was staring at her intently.

"Fate is it?"

"Yes," Nanoha answered, her voice filled with sudden wonder, "Yes. Yes, Shamal! I love Fate."

After so many weeks of not seeing, of being so close but not knowing, saying the words made everything clear.

"I've been wondering if you'd ever figure that out," Shamal said quietly.

Nanoha drew a surprised breath and looked at Shamal questioningly.

"You knew?"

Shamal laughed darkly.

"I was pretty sure, but I was hoping you wouldn't keep on. That you'd marry your Mr. Scrya and settle down the way you should."

"But why, Shamal?" Nanoha asked, hearing Shamal's opposition but still not comprehending it. How could it be bad when what she felt for Fate seemed so right?

Nanoha's obvious naiveté finally ignited Shamal's anger. She got quickly to her feet, seething.

"Why? Because of Fate, for Lord's sake! You say that you love her. She'll love you, too, you know. Probably already does. Do you have any idea what that's going to do to her?"

Nanoha stared at her. "Shamal - I-"

Shamal continued as if she hadn't heard.

"Fate's been waiting her whole life for this and she doesn't even know it. You'll let her believe, Nanoha, and then you'll leave her, sooner or later. That will destroy her."

"No!" Nanoha cried passionately. "I won't hurt her! I couldn't hurt her. Believe me, Shamal, I won't change!"

Shamal looked at her silently, uncertain whether to go on. But Nanoha had come to her, and there might not be another time.

"Nanoha, you're young. When you're young, blood runs high. I believe you've got feelings for her. I do."

She took a breath, then finished, "But think what you're saying. If you let Fate love you, how long do you think it will be before Fate wants to love you like - like - a man loves a woman?"

Nanoha felt her face redden, but she would not avert her gaze. She thought about the way her heart raced when Fate was near, and the way her breath tripped when she looked into Fate's eyes, and the way she trembled at the barest touch of fate's hand. She envisioned Fate, sweat-dampened and dusty and so incredibly beautiful, and she was suddenly warm all over. She knew what she felt.

She studied Shamal calmly, her face composed. "And you, Shamal. Could you love her like that?"

Shamal's expression was proud, but her eyes were sad.

"I would now, if she'd let me."

Nanoha nodded slowly, and rose. She touched Shamal's arm lightly as she left.

"Thank you, Shamal."

Shamal looked after her, admiring her grit, and praying that she'd come to her senses before it was too late.

* * *

A/N: Finally huh? XD. Until next time =D


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and its characters, nor do I own this plot since it's directly based on Radclyffe's story of the same title. I just love the story so much and the characters had an uncanny similarity with NanoFate that I had to share this awesome story .. Apologies if I offend anyone.

* * *

**Chapter 14**

Fate came around the side of the barn, stopped abruptly, and stared. A buckboard was pulled up in her yard, and it looked a lot like Nanoha standing on her front porch. It had been only day or two since she had seen Nanoha with that Scrya fellow out on the range, and she hadn't wanted to think too long about what that meant. In fact she had been working harder than ever just so she wouldn't have to think about it. But she still recalled his arm around Nanoha's waist, like he owned her, and just remembering it made her want to curse. She had been afraid that Nanoha might never visit again, and now, here she was.

Fate broke into a run and took the stairs two at a time.

"Nanoha?" she said in astonishment. She couldn't keep the note of elation from her voice.

Nanoha smiled at her. "Hello, Fate."

Fate looked perplexed. "What are you doing here?"

She looked around the ranch. "Where's Chrono?"

"He isn't here. I came by myself."

Nanoha wanted to laugh at the open amazement on Fate's face, but she took note of the flicker of worry that lingered there as well and added quietly, "I needed to see you."

"Come inside," Fate said, holding the door for Nanoha.

"It's too hot out here already and it isn't even noon."

Nanoha carried the basket she had packed and stepped into the cool dark hallway. She waited for Fate to lead the way, following her through to the library.

As soon as they were seated in two leather chairs facing the empty fireplace, Fate said, "How did you ever get your parents to let you come?"

"They think that I'm at the Harlaown's helping Lindy."

Fate looked shocked. "Lord, Nanoha."

Finally Nanoha laughed. She was so glad to see her!

"They don't expect me until tonight, and I just couldn't wait until Chrono had the time to bring me."

"What's so important?" Fate asked, her burgundy eyes clouded with concern.

"Has something happened?"

"Last night Yuuno asked me to marry him," Nanoha said quietly.

"Oh."

Fate felt as if she had been struck. She stood up quickly and paced to the fireplace, needing distance. Some hard deep pain was threatening to break loose inside her, and she wanted to run. She wanted to be alone, because she didn't think she'd be able to weather it. She closed her eyes for just a minute, trying to get her bearings. She was having a little trouble catching her breath. She tried to swallow around the lump in her throat, but her voice came out choked.

"I - that's grand, Nanoha," she managed.

Nanoha went to her side, placing her hand on Fate's arm. She felt Fate trembling and it brought tears to her eyes.

"It's not what you think, Fate," she said softly. "I told him no."

Fate stared at Nanoha, her expression desolate. Her mind swirled with confusion. All she could think was that Nanoha would be gone.

"I don't understand," she whispered.

"I told him no, Fate," Nanoha murmured, very close to her now, "because it's you I love."

A strange pounding began in Fate's chest. Nanoha's words suddenly set her world straight. All the restless yearnings that had plagued her these past weeks vanished like mist in the sunlight. She wanted to say and do a thousand things, but all she could manage was to look into Nanoha's eyes. They were so deep, and so warm, and so welcoming.

"Nanoha," she breathed, her voice low, "I- I don't know what to say. I-"

Nanoha touched her fingers to Fate's lips, silencing her gently.

"I don't want you to say anything, Fate."

She laid her cheek against Fate's shoulder, threading her arms around Fate's waist.

"I just want you to hold me."

A soft sigh escaped Fate's lips. She stood very still, feeling Nanoha against every inch of her body, the blood rushing hot through her veins. She rested her trembling hands on Nanoha's waist, marveling at her softness. Very slowly, afraid that Nanoha might step away, she brushed her face over Nanoha's thick auburn hair, closing her eyes as the sweet fragrance engulfed her. The sensation was too much to bear, and she groaned faintly.

Nanoha listened to the beat of Fate's heart as contentment warred with something much more urgent - a swift stab of pleasure that bordered on pain.

"Oh," she murmured, pressing harder to Fate.

"What is it?" Fate asked hoarsely, her throat thick.

At last Nanoha lifted her head to look at Fate's face and found her expression ravenous, almost wild. Nanoha forgot to breathe for a long moment.

"I don't know," she gasped at last. "I want - oh, Fate - I don't know what I want."

As she spoke she steadily stroked Fate's back, her shoulders, her chest - needing to feel her, wanting to get closer to her. She wasn't aware of anything save a craving more critical than anything she had ever known.

Fate was sure she was about to die. Her heart hammered in her chest, her lungs burned, and her legs threatened to give out. Her hands tightened on Nanoha's body, pulling her near, wanting her close, needing to tell Nanoha with every fiber of her being how much she needed her. How much she loved her. She had no words, but her heart knew. She dipped her head and pressed her lips gently to Nanoha's, letting the soft certainty of her kiss speak for her.

Nanoha's lips parted initially in surprise, then in wonder. Fate's kiss, tender at first, became more possessive, and Nanoha swayed in Fate's arms as heat hummed through her limbs, making her muscles weak and her head light. What she felt in Fate's embrace was more than pleasure, more than passion. It was an unbearable hunger that threatened to undo her. She drank the sweetness of Fate's mouth, quenching a thirst older than time.

"Fate," Nanoha managed to say when she could bear to pull her mouth away from those sweet kisses, "what you make me feel! Never - I never imagined."

Fate buried her face in Nanoha's neck, breathless, so consumed with arousal she could not speak. Her stomach churned with the need to feel Nanoha's skin. She had no way to control what she had never expected, and she moaned helplessly with the ache of desire. She lifted trembling hands to Nanoha's face, finding Nanoha's lips once again, barely mindful of the ferocity of her caresses. Finally, kisses were not enough to assuage her need.

"Come lie with me, Nanoha," Fate dared ask, desperate for her.

Nanoha nodded wordlessly, trusting in the tenderness of Fate's gaze.

Fate took Nanoha's hand, leading her gently up the stairs to her room. A large four-poster bed that had been her parents' occupied the center of the room on a broad braided rug. Nanoha and Fate stood close together, hands clasped, just inside the door, hesitating on the threshold of surrender.

"I love you, Nanoha," Fate whispered, her voice breaking, an agony of desire shuddering through her frame. She wanted her so much that she was afraid to move.

Nanoha sensed every ripple of desire in Fate's slender body and saw every flicker of longing in Fate's face, and Nanoha smiled. She stepped away, watching Fate's expression as she slowly loosened the ties on her bodice. She slipped the dress from her shoulders, her pulse racing as she heard Fate's quick intake of breath. Covered only by a light chemise, Nanoha returned to Fate's arms. Her nipples, taut under the thin material, brushed against the rough denim of Fate's shirt, and she gasped in surprise at the jolt of excitement that coursed through her. Fate's hands were on her again, on her skin now, and everywhere Fate touched, Nanoha burned.

"I want to see you," Nanoha beseeched, her fingers working at the buttons on Fate's shirt.

Fate stood motionless, a fine mist of sweat breaking out on her face as she looked at Nanoha. Fate's breasts strained the cotton slip, shadows of pink nipples, firm with anticipation, clearly visible. Fate cupped Nanoha's breasts in her palms, and Nanoha swayed against her, moaning softly. Fate stilled, afraid that if she moved the great dam inside her would burst and she would do something to frighten Nanoha. She ached to touch Nanoha, everywhere.

Everywhere.

Always.

Her fingers rubbed over Nanoha's nipples.

Nanoha bit her lip, struggling to see through a haze of arousal. She finally loosened all the buttons on Fate's shirt and slid it off her shoulders.

"Oh!" Nanoha cried when she saw the still fresh scar on Fate's chest. She pressed her lips to it, her hands tenderly stroking Fate's breasts.

Fate groaned deep in her throat, lost.

"Nanoha, oh Nanoha. I can't bear it."

When Nanoha's lips found her nipple in a soft kiss, Fate broke at last. She picked Nanoha up in her arms and carried her in a few quick strides to the bed. She leaned over her, naked from the waist up, her arms braced on either side of Nanoha's body. She kissed her again, on her mouth, on her neck, not gently this time, but with a primal ferocity that had simmered unheeded for far too long. Every kiss stoked her need. She reached for Nanoha's chemise, the last barrier, and stopped herself.

"Nanoha?" she implored desperately, shivering with the ache in her depths.

Nanoha arched her back, her hands fumbling with Fate's heavy belt, her voice unrecognizable to her own ears.

"Hurry, Fate, please. I want to feel you against me!"

Fate swiftly kicked off her boots and stripped the levis from her thighs. Nanoha removed the remaining obstacle between them, and waited for her, naked and unafraid.

Fate groaned as her gaze swept over Nanoha's body, taking in her full firm breasts and the dark triangle of hair at the base of her abdomen. She lay down upon her, carefully, guided by instinct. She found the places that made Nanoha sigh, first with her fingers and then, needing more, with her lips. She tasted her, drank her, devoured her, all the while thrilling to the soft sound of Nanoha's cries in her ears. When Nanoha arched from the bed, body taut and trembling, Fate hesitated, afraid of her own desire.

"Fate," Nanoha murmured, her eyes closed, her face flushed with arousal. She found Fate's hand and drew Fate's fingers to the heat between her legs, lifting her hips to take her inside.

"Please."

Fate groaned as the hot slick folds surrounded her, resting her forehead on Nanoha's breast as she slowly, carefully entered her. Nanoha thrust against her palm, small incoherent sounds escaping her throat. Fate's chest constricted, her head throbbed, and a terrible pressure pounded through her limbs. She bit her lip and tried to hold onto reason.

Nanoha's eyes flew open in surprise, she grasped Fate's shoulders convulsively, and pushed down hard, once, against Fate's fingers. Then she was gone, shattering into a thousand separate moments of pleasure, trembling and crying Fate's name. Nanoha closed on Fate's hand and Fate lost her fight for control. She brought her leg over Nanoha's, frantic for relief, and exploded at first contact. Her breath was wrenched from her as she spasmed, and she collapsed, exhausted, into Nanoha's waiting arms.

* * *

Nanoha awakened to the warm sun on her skin. It seemed to be late afternoon, and the air in Fate's room was still and heavy. Her body felt languid and full from the effects of their loving, and she smiled to herself with the memory of their pleasure. She lay quietly, eyes closed, enjoying the weight of Fate's hand on her breast. Eventually she opened her eyes and looked at Fate, so innocent and vulnerable in sleep. Nanoha's fingers gently explored the line of Fate's brow, the angle of her cheek, the soft curve of her lips. She raised herself so that she could see the length of Fate's body, marveling at her loveliness. She lightly traced her fingers over the smooth column of Fate's neck and along the edge of each delicate collarbone. She bent her head and felt the softness of Fate's breasts with her lips. Fate stirred and moaned lightly in her sleep. Nanoha smiled. Tenderly, she curled her fingers in the blond hair between Fate's legs and kissed first her abdomen and then the pale skin where Fate's thigh began.

Fate's legs tensed and she whispered hoarsely, "Nanoha - Nanoha, what are you doing?"

"Shhh, lie still. I'm loving you," she replied gently.

She stroked the silk-soft flesh of Fate's thighs, then higher, seeking the wet warmth she knew was there, teasing each delicate fold between her fingertips until Fate groaned and shook. Emboldened by the urgent motion of Fate's hips, she pressed her thumb to the stiff, engorged prominence and circled it, knowing Fate as she knew herself. Unconsciously she followed Fate's body, matching her motions to Fate's strangled cries. When Fate arched, tight and trembling, Nanoha strummed her fingers hard and brought Fate home.

* * *

Fate pulled the buckboard up behind the Harlaown's house as the sun dropped low, a fading fireball almost ready to disappear behind the distant hills. She turned on the seat to look at Nanoha.

"I don't want to let you go," Fate said softly.

Nanoha's hand had rested on her thigh the entire hour it had taken Fate to drive into town, and Fate didn't want her to move it. Ever. She questioned the rightness of being with Nanoha no more than she questioned the rightness of rising each morning to work her land. The places in her heart that had lain empty and waiting were filled. Her life seemed whole and all of a piece with Nanoha by her side. For her it was simply the truth of things, and she thought no further than that.

Loving Nanoha was right.

"I don't want to leave you either," Nanoha answered quietly. Of that she was certain.

"I need to say hello to Lindy, so that my day won't be a lie, but I'll come back to the ranch as soon as I can get away again. My mother is starting to get used to me driving into town alone. She doesn't need to know I'm coming to you."

Nanoha's eyes were luminous, and her face flushed with more than the August heat. She couldn't think yet, her body was still too stirred. She had never experienced such an awakening of self, so suddenly, in both body and mind. She had known when barely in her teens that she did not desire the future that was expected for her, but try as she might, she could not picture another. Certainly there were women who struck off on their own, many of them traveling into the western territories as teachers and seamstresses and laundresses, but Nanoha had not seen herself among them. She had not been raised to envision independence and had only managed through her love of words and her endless curiosity to discover that there were worlds beyond her own socially defined sphere. Still, nothing had ever prepared her for Fate, nor for what they had shared.

She knew little of what physical intimacies men and women enjoyed, having heard only veiled references from her mother and wild speculation from her girlfriends, but she knew what Fate stirred in her. She knew what she held in her heart for Fate, and when that ardor echoed in her body, she welcomed it. Fate's tenderness and answering passion fulfilled her. Why it was so, she could not say.

"I'll come as soon as I can," Nanoha repeated firmly, needing to reassure herself as well as Fate. She was already missing her.

"It will be a trial waiting," Fate stated, her voice low, her fist opening and closing on her thigh as she struggled to describe her desire. She wanted Nanoha in her arms again; she wanted to hear Nanoha's cries of abandon as she touched her. She shuddered with the memory.

"It's like I'm hungry for you, Nanoha."

"Fate," Nanoha breathed, the wanting starting again. "I don't know what it is, but I can't stop thinking about being with you." She blushed. "Like we were today."

Fate looked away, watching night approach as the blue sky flamed into purples and pinks and deep oranges with the dying of the sun.

She spoke quietly. "I don't have words for what happened, Nanoha. I don't know if there are words for it."

She gazed at Nanoha, her eyes burning brighter than the dazzling colors that surrounded them. Her body rippled with tension. "But I know that I love you. Life wouldn't mean much to me now without you. That won't ever change."

Nanoha smiled, her heart filling with the tenderness of Fate's sweet, sure vows.

"I love you, too." For the moment, that seemed enough.

* * *

Lindy rinsed out the dishtowel and hung it over the wooden rod inside her back door, watching the two women in the buckboard through her kitchen window. They were only talking, and she couldn't hear their words, but she didn't need to. She was watching their faces.

Fate had that solemn, serious expression on her face, the one Chrono had worn when he was working his way up to proposing, and Nanoha gazed at Fate the way every young woman in love looks at her beau. Lindy wondered why she wasn't more surprised by it. She supposed it was because she had lived more than half her life on the frontier, and she had learned that city ways didn't count for much out there. There were women without husbands due to famine or fancy or fate, and they did what they had to do to get by. Some married for safety, forgoing love; some stepped up when widowed to fill their men's shoes, managing families and farms on their own; and some came west with no intention of being anybody's wife right from the start. Living close to the bone, with death a constant shadow, you learned fast to take what goodness life sent your way when you could, because sorrow was just over the horizon.

She looked at the two of them and couldn't see much harm to the caring. She sighed, wondering what Momoko might think if she was ever to be faced with it.

"Lindy," Nanoha said breathlessly as she came through the door, "I'm so sorry I'm so late. I met Fate and-"

Lindy smiled, shushing her with a shake of her head.

"That's fine, Nanoha. I like your company, and I'm always happy to see you, but you don't need to feel obliged to spend your time over here. I don't expect there's anything you'll need to know that you won't find out when the time comes."

Nanoha nodded, only half-listening as she watched Fate untie her horse from the back of the buckboard and prepare to leave. Every movement of her graceful hands reminded Nanoha of the way they had felt on her body, and her head grew light with the memory. Fate swung into the saddle, turned to the house, her eyes searching for Nanoha, and then she was gone with one last smile. Nanoha finally turned away to find Lindy regarding her speculatively. Nanoha's face flamed because she was certain that Lindy could read every thought.

Lindy pulled a tray of biscuits from the oven, sliding the metal onto a cooling stone on the counter.

"Fate Testarossa is a fine young woman. Works hard and turns an honest profit," she remarked, her back to Nanoha.

"Yes," Nanoha said cautiously.

Lindy wiped her hands on her apron as she turned to regard Nanoha steadily.

"Next time you should invite her in for a drink before she has to ride all that dusty way back to the ranch."

Nanoha struggled for words, and finally whispered, "Thank you, Lindy."

* * *

"You're a sight for sore eyes, Lightning," Shamal said as she stepped up to the bar beside Fate.

"Seems I only see you when someone's plugged you full of holes."

Fate grinned sheepishly. "Hello, Shamal. I was hoping you'd be around."

Shamal studied her quizzically.

"The sun's just set, Fate. The varmints won't be out for a while, so I'm not busy. Why don't you come sit down and tell me what brings you into town in the middle of the week."

"How about you let me buy you dinner?" Fate countered, wanting company. She had resisted going home because she knew the house would rattle with loneliness, and she already ached for Nanoha.

"I believe I'll take you up on that," Shamal said, threading her arm through Fate's. When they had moved into the dining room, she once again regarded Fate curiously. She didn't think she'd ever seen Fate look moody before.

"What're you fretting about, Lightning?"

"Hmm? Oh! Why nothing, Shamal," Fate said quickly, blushing. She'd been thinking about waking up and feeling Nanoha's hands on her thighs, and about the way Nanoha knew just how to touch her in those spots that set her head to spinning, and how just when she didn't think she could stand another second without some part of her bursting, Nanoha had done just the right thing and she had exploded. Remembering it brought the feelings back so strongly she almost gasped.

Shamal leaned back in her chair, watching a flood of emotions play across Fate's expressive features. How Fate ever managed to win at poker, she didn't know, because Fate's face was an open book. And what Shamal saw there made her heart sink. Fate's eyes were a little hazy, and her skin was flushed under her tan. Her body almost quivered. Shamal thought she could feel the heat radiating from her. Fate Testarossa looked like a woman who had been well loved, and recently.

Shamal knew better than to ask, because Fate was too honorable to tell.

She said casually instead, "What brings you in here today, Fate?"

"I drove Nanoha over to the Harlaowns," Fate replied. She wanted to tell Shamal about the extraordinary thing that had happened to her, but she barely had words for it herself. Plus, it was so intensely personal, so special, that she couldn't imagine sharing the details with anyone.

"She was out my way and it was getting late."

"Visiting was she?" Shamal probed.

Fate smiled, and nodded faintly. "Yes."

"How nice," Shamal remarked coolly. She hoped that Nanoha knew what she was doing, because she was willing to bet that Fate didn't. From the looks of her, she was too far gone already to see trouble coming.

"Well, Fate," Shamal said softly, laying her hand on Fate arm.

"You know you've always got a friend here if you ever need one."

Fate looked at her quizzically, then took Shamal's fingers lightly in hers.

"I'll remember, Shamal."

* * *

A/N: Just 5 more chapters. =D


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and its characters, nor do I own this plot since it's directly based on Radclyffe's story of the same title. I just love the story so much and the characters had an uncanny similarity with NanoFate that I had to share this awesome story .. Apologies if I offend anyone.

* * *

**Chapter 15**

Nanoha, her hair whipping behind her in the breeze, turned the buckboard expertly through the gates of Al Hazard ranch and looked expectantly toward the house. Her skin tingled with the familiar excitement that accompanied each visit. The sun had never felt so good, nor the air so clear. She pulled into the yard just as Fate came out onto the porch. Nanoha drew a breath, seeing her again as if for the first time, only now her body held the memory of Fate's caresses, and that alone was enough to stir her. She stepped onto the running board, her eyes dancing with happiness and the first awakening of desire, as Fate crossed the ground in quick eager strides.

"Nanoha!" Fate cried, her hands on Nanoha's waist, swinging her down from the wagon exuberantly.

Nanoha laughed aloud and wrapped her arms around Fate's neck, her lips searching for Fate's as her feet touched the ground. They stood together under the bright morning sky, lost in their embrace, as carefree as they would ever be.

After a moment, Fate pulled her head back, flushed and breathless.

"Nanoha," she admonished teasingly. "I thought you wanted shooting lessons."

Nanoha knew from the way Fate's hands strayed over her and the hoarse tone of her voice that Fate's mind was not on the plans they had made. Nanoha pressed her lips warmly against the tanned triangle of skin bared by Fate's shirt and sighed contentedly.

"I did, until just a moment ago," Nanoha murmured. She marveled at the way Fate's touch aroused her. Even hours after she returned home, she still tingled where Fate's hands and lips had stroked her. She had never imagined love would feel like this. That love would be a thing of the mind and the heart, yes. But the wanting! This was something so unexpected she could think of little else.

"We'd better go now or I won't let you away for hours," Nanoha said reluctantly, but her tone was unconvincing. Even more telling was the rapid rise and fall of her chest as her breath grew short.

Fate didn't let her go, but moved her lips close to Nanoha's ear instead.

"We can always go later," she murmured, very aware of the trembling in her legs. "And I don't think I can ride." She kissed the sweet skin of Nanoha's neck, and they both groaned. "I'm about to forget myself altogether."

Nanoha pushed her away, but her fingers brushed lightly over Fate's breasts.

"Inside the house," she whispered, watching Fate's color rise and her pupils grow large. "Quickly."

They made it to the bottom of the staircase before Fate grabbed Nanoha and pressed her to the wall, her hands searching for the ties on Nanoha's dress. She had her hands inside Nanoha's bodice an instant later, lifting her breasts free of their restraints.

"Lord, Nanoha," Fate groaned as she lowered her lips to Nanoha's hardening nipples, "I've missed you so."

Nanoha struggled to stand as a flood of arousal threatened to take her legs from under her. Her head fell back against the wall and she curled her fingers in Fate's hair, pressing Fate's face to her body. Fate's tongue was on her, kindling a fire that spread downwards with unchecked abandon. It was always like this, and never the same. Fate's desire inflamed her and every ounce of her body responded. She quickened in a heartbeat and teetered on the brink of dissolving for long agonizing, wonderful moments, crying Fate's name, begging for her to touch her.

Fate sensed Nanoha's passion rising and her caresses became more insistent. Nanoha trembled against her and there was a desperate edge in her voice. With effort Fate raised her lips from the sweet warmth of Nanoha's breast, gasping, "Wait, Nanoha. Let me take you to bed."

Nanoha managed to open her eyes and shook her head, her hands twisting in Fate's shirt. Her eyes were huge sapphire pools of yearning.

"No," she choked. "No. Now. Now, please."

"Help me," Fate demanded urgently, fired by Nanoha's need. She lifted the light cotton of Nanoha's dress for Nanoha to hold and knelt on the stairs before her. Gently she pulled the final barriers aside and leaned forward, kissing the very center of Nanoha's desire. Nanoha jerked against her and cried out. Fate closed her eyes, her arms around Nanoha's hips, supporting her. She listened to Nanoha as she caressed her, tracing the soft swell of engorged tissues with her tongue, sucking gently while Nanoha sobbed with pleasure. She followed the rhythm and call of Nanoha's need, losing herself for long moments in the scent and taste of her while Nanoha's hands fluttered over her face, leading her to the places that made Nanoha moan. She felt Nanoha grow and harden under her tongue and knew without telling that the end was coming. She continued to stroke her as Nanoha arched against her mouth, feeling her own heart stop as Nanoha's pulse beat wildly under her lips.

Fate caught Nanoha as she was about to fall, standing quickly and gathering her into her arms. She kissed Nanoha fiercely, still inflamed by the same heat that had consumed Nanoha. Her breath tore from her chest as she desperately pressed her hips into Nanoha.

"Nanoha," she groaned, barely able to see. "I-I need-" Her voice trailed off into a strangled sob as she buried her face against Nanoha's shoulder, shuddering.

"I know," Nanoha crooned, lightly caressing Fate's fevered face. "I know."

She slipped her hand between them, squeezing her palm to the soft material between Fate's legs, cupping her. She smiled as Fate moaned. Quickly, she pulled each button free, working her fingers under the material to find the warmth waiting for her. As Nanoha squeezed the firm length of her, Fate swayed, weak with the pleasure of it. Nanoha met each thrust of Fate's hips with an answering pressure until Fate stiffened and cried out. When Fate trembled in Nanoha's arms, Nanoha laughed faintly, glorying in her.

* * *

Fate carried their picnic basket to the buckboard, Nanoha walking close beside her. Nanoha's fingers rested lightly on her arm. Fate's body still tingled with the excitement they had just shared. She grinned as she helped Nanoha up onto the seat.

"What?" Nanoha asked fondly, noting her expression.

"Just happy," Fate answered, swinging up beside her. "Trying to figure out what I ever did to deserve you."

Nanoha moved her hand to Fate's thigh, leaning against her as Fate started the horses out of the yard.

"You're just you," Nanoha said quietly, "and you don't ever have to do anything except love me."

Fate glanced at her, suddenly serious. "I will, Nanoha. Always."

Nanoha snuggled closer, still languorous from their loving, and smiled contentedly. Fate drove slowly through the lowlands and hills of her property, stopping frequently to point things out to the ever- curious Nanoha. Fate took her to see the summer grazing lands, sprinkled with wandering herds of horses, and the out cabins where she and the men stayed during branding times and roundups. From a hilltop overlooking impossibly green meadows, Fate indicated the steeply rising mountains that bordered her land to the west.

"Those peaks are a natural protection for the highland meadows where the horses winter, Nanoha. When it starts to frost in the fall, we round up all the young and any pregnant mares and bring them down to that small canyon I showed you earlier. If the winter is really bad, they can't forage, and we feed them."

"Oh, Fate!" Nanoha exclaimed, awed by the scope of it all. "It's so beautiful. You must love it very much!"

Fate took Nanoha's hand and brought it to her lips. "I never thought I could love anything more. Until you."

Nanoha slipped her arm around Fate's waist and rested her head on Fate's shoulder, stroking Fate's arm through the soft cotton of her shirt. She thought how much she loved her simple strength and gentle heart.

"Fate," she murmured softly.

Fate kissed her temple. "What?"

"I don't want things to ever change."

Fate was quiet so long that Nanoha leaned away to look at her face.

"What's wrong?" Nanoha asked.

"I can't stand being apart from you so much, Nanoha," Fate admitted at last, her voice low and tight. "I want us to lie down together at night and sleep side by side. I want to wake up with you." She looked at Nanoha, her eyes troubled. "I want- well - If I was a man, I'd want to marry you."

Nanoha's heart turned over.

"Oh, Fate," she breathed. "I love you."

Fate searched Nanoha's face, finding all the courage she needed in Nanoha's tender gaze. "I want you to come live with me, Nanoha. Will you?"

It was Nanoha's turn to be silent. When she spoke, her tone was anguished. "I want to. I want to be with you, married or not, for all my life." She stroked Fate's cheek, her throat so tight she could barely speak. "But I don't know how."

"If you want to, Nanoha, that's all that matters to me. We'll figure it out," Fate said, turning her head and kissing Nanoha's palm. "We've got time."

She climbed down and reached up for Nanoha. "Now, how about we give you that shooting lesson."

Nanoha tried not to think of anything else as Fate stood behind her, occasionally wrapping her arms around her to steady the Winchester, whispering encouragement in her ear. She even managed to hit the targets Fate picked out now and then, but she couldn't quite rid herself of thoughts of confronting her parents. How would she explain her desire to be with Fate? How could she make them see that it was all she lived for? And what would she do if they refused?

* * *

Summer grew short and the fall days were upon them before they knew it. Fate's joy at returning home after hours on the range to unexpectedly find Nanoha quietly reading on the porch or preparing a meal in the kitchen was undiminished by the passage of time. Their love was simple and pure, and they grew closer as surely and naturally as two branches on the same tree, drawing nourishment from the same spring. The moments they spent together, talking and loving, were precious, bringing Fate more happiness than she had dared dream of only a few months before. Still, she found herself wanting more.

There were days, sometimes even a week or more, between Nanoha's visits, and during those times, Fate suffered from more than loneliness. She couldn't help but think of Yuuno Scrya, who she knew still paid court to Nanoha. It tormented her to think that he might touch Nanoha, when she could not even arrive unannounced at Nanoha's door asking only for the pleasure of sitting by Nanoha's side. Each time she walked Nanoha to the buckboard and watched her drive away or rode with her to the edge of town, it was harder to let her go. The nights when she lay down alone were colder and longer than any she could ever recall. She was lonely in a way she never had been before, because now there were places in her heart that only Nanoha could fill.

"Nanoha?" Fate asked one late afternoon, lying naked with Nanoha in her arms under a heavy quilt while a fire burned in the hearth in Fate's bedroom. Nanoha's back was to her front, and she buried her face in Nanoha's thick hair, smoothing her hands slowly over Nanoha's stomach until she cupped Nanoha's breasts in her hands.

Nanoha stilled Fate's movement, pressing her palms over Fate's hands.

"I can't think when you do that," Nanoha admonished lightly, but there was no disapproval in her tone. She loved Fate's hands on her. "What is it?"

Fate sighed, closing her eyes, trying to shut out every sensation but Nanoha. She couldn't, as much as she wished to.

"Winter comes early out here, Nanoha. It will snow soon."

"Yes," Nanoha said quietly, her grip on Fate's hands tightening. She waited.

"It's not safe for you to come here any longer," Fate continued, each word feeling like it was taking a piece of her heart with it. "You could be caught in a blizzard and freeze to death quicker than a minute."

"I can't stay away," Nanoha whispered. "I can't be without you." She couldn't imagine a week, let alone the long months of winter, separated from her.

Fate tightened her arms around her, pulling Nanoha even closer.

"I can't have anything happening to you, Nanoha," she murmured. "I'm not made strong enough for that. Promise me you won't drive out here alone again."

Nanoha nodded. She knew Fate was right, and she would never worry her even though it would kill her to go all winter without seeing her. She turned within the circle of Fate's arms, searching Fate's face, seeing the misery in her eyes.

"We must find another way." She sought Fate's mouth, kissing her lightly at first, then with a sudden hunger. She drew away with a small cry. "I won't be without you."

"I'll come into town when I can," Fate ventured. "Maybe you could come to the hotel?"

Even as she said it, she knew that it was impossible. The weather was unpredictable at best in the foothills of the Rockies, and even if she could leave the ranch, how would she even get a message to Nanoha to let her know that she had come? And meeting at the hotel? Impossible. There was no way that they could ever keep that fact from Nanoha's parents for long. Plus, part of her resisted the idea of meeting Nanoha for an afternoon's passion, as if that was all there was between them. She never tired of feeling Nanoha close to her, or of loving her for hours on end, but she took just as much joy in raising her eyes from some piece of work to find Nanoha sitting nearby with a book in her hands.

"I must speak to my parents," Nanoha said quietly, knowing the time had come. She could not go on indefinitely avoiding Yuuno's persistent demands, nor could she pretend to her parents that her reluctance was only because she was not certain that she wished to be his wife. Having lain with Fate, she could never be any man's wife. Fate was her heart. "I'll make them understand."

"I'll come with you," Fate said firmly, moving to get up. "They'll never need worry for your safety nor your care, not as long as I live, nor after either. I owe them the comfort of knowing that."

"Wait," Nanoha cried, holding her fast. "We have time before I need to be back." She stretched out in Fate's arms, her legs entwining naturally with those of her taller lover. "I'll not let go of you yet."

Fate smiled, turning them so Nanoha lay beneath her, and lowered herself gently upon her. Her chest filled with an almost unbearable sensation of tenderness and wonder, and she set about showing Nanoha just how much she cherished her. With her lips, with her mouth, with her work roughened hands turned to velvet on Nanoha's sweet skin, she told her. Her kisses carried the promises and her touch the certainty that she so often had no words to express.

_I will love you_, Fate's caresses vowed.

_With all my being, for all my life. You are my reason and my answer and my purpose_, her fingers pledged, each knowing stroke carrying Nanoha closer to fulfillment.

"I love you, Nanoha, I love you," she finally whispered, her face pressed to Nanoha's neck, as Nanoha arched under her, an inarticulate moan escaping her throat.

Fate held Nanoha until she quieted and caressed her lightly while she dozed. She could not remember what her existence had been like before her, and she could not imagine a life without her now.

* * *

"I want to come with you," Fate said stubbornly. They sat just up the road from Nanoha's house, Bardiche tied to the back of the buckboard, waiting patiently. Darkness was falling, and the night was cold. Nanoha sat wrapped in a heavy wool blanket, her cloak fastened tightly around her. Fate wore a heavy sheepskin coat, her hat pulled low, her hands bare. Their breath hung in the air, a reminder that they had very little time before nature made separation inevitable.

Nanoha slipped her fingers from her glove and took Fate's hand. It was warm.

"I know you do, Fate. But let me talk with them first." Her head ached just thinking about what her mother was going to say.

"They need to know what I feel for you, Nanoha," Fate persisted. It was only proper that she speak up. "I don't want you to do this alone. It's not right."

Nanoha looked at her quickly, hearing a note of worry in her tone. "You don't think that I'll let them talk me out of it, do you?"

Fate turned to her, and the surprise in her eyes reassured Nanoha.

"No, Nanoha, never." Fate stated firmly. "That's not what I was thinking. I don't suppose there's a word for what we are to each other, but I know that you are the only one I'll ever love. I want us to be together, and the closest word I know to that is married."

"Yes," Nanoha responded, her shoulders set with resolve. "Go have supper at the hotel and then come back to the house around eight o'clock. We can all talk then."

"I can't eat!" Fate protested. "My stomach feels like a nest of rattlers."

Nanoha felt dizzy with apprehension, too. "Then go to the bar and talk to Zest."

Fate didn't like it, but they were Nanoha's parents, and she supposed it made some sense to get them used to the idea before she showed up on their doorstep. She bit back a further protest as she helped Nanoha down from the wagon. Nanoha swayed suddenly and Fate gripped her tightly.

"What's wrong?" Fate asked, alarmed at her pallor.

Nanoha smiled tremulously, oddly breathless. She shook her head, answering, "It's nothing. I'm just nervous." She reached a hand to brush Fate's cheek. "I'm fine. You go on now. I'll see you in a little while."

Fate stood by the side of the buckboard, watching Nanoha walk away from her, a sinking feeling in her chest. She felt helpless and suddenly very much afraid.

* * *

"Something wrong with Zest's whiskey?" Shamal asked. "You been standing there with that same drink in front of you for better than an hour."

Fate looked up, a vacant expression in her eyes. She stared at Shamal a second, then smiled weakly. "No. His whiskey's fine."

Shamal peered at her, surprised by the bleak tone of her voice. "What's happened? You look like a whipped dog."

"I feel like one," Fate said bitterly. "Probably worse."

Shamal motioned to Zest for a bottle. "Bring your glass, and let's sit for a minute, Fate. You'd best tell me what's going on."

They took a table in the far corner of the saloon, and Fate told her. She stared at the glass cupped between her fingers, her head down, her voice unsteady, as she spoke of Nanoha, and their love, and their plans. When she reached the part where she had gone back to the Takamachi house that evening, she finally raised her eyes and met Shamal's.

"Her father came to the door and stepped out onto the porch when he saw that it was me," Fate said hollowly. "He told me, very politely, that Nanoha was indisposed and could not see me. He also told me he thought it best that I not come around again, seeing that Nanoha would be very busy soon preparing for her wedding to Mr. Scrya."

She downed the shot, and held out an unsteady hand for the bottle, pouring another. "He never even raised his voice, but the look on his face could have frozen a pond in the middle of summer." She emptied the glass and set it down hard. "I'd rather he hit me."

Shamal stared at her, trying to absorb the tale. As she listened, her emotions had run the gamut from despair to faint hope. Her initial reaction had been shock. She hadn't known what to expect after Nanoha's visit, but it hadn't been this! Hearing Fate tell it, watching her face, Shamal could see how much Fate loved the girl, and it almost broke her heart. Then, when she heard that Nanoha's father had put a stop to it, her response had been relief and, God help her, happiness.

"Maybe it's for the best, Fate," she said gently.

_You'll get over her, she's not right for you_, she wanted to scream. But part of her didn't believe it, as much as she wanted to. She remembered the blaze in Nanoha's eyes when she had said that she loved Fate, and she heard the torment in Fate's voice now. They loved each other all right.

Fate's eyes were wounded as she met Shamal's gaze. "How?" she asked brokenly. "How could it be for the best? I love her, and she loves me."

"Her parents would never accept it," Shamal continued softly. "A girl like her is supposed to be married. They won't know no other way."

Fate swallowed. "What about what she wants? What about Nanoha's happiness?"

Shamal couldn't help but laugh, but there was no humor in her voice. "Lord's sake, Fate. Whenever did the feelings of a woman matter in these things?"

"Nanoha matters, Shamal," Fate said firmly, a spark of life returning to her eyes. "She matters to me more than anything in this world."

"More than the ranch?" Shamal asked, wanting to show Fate the hopelessness of her dream. "Because if you think they're just gonna let her move on out there with you, without a fight, you're more drunk than two whiskeys will make you."

Fate was quiet a long time, thinking about the look on Shiro Takamachi's face. She knew when a man couldn't be swayed. "No, I suppose they wouldn't."

"Don't do anything foolish, Lightning," Shamal said as tenderly as she could. She saw a cowboy approaching from the corner of her eye and cursed under her breath. "Some things aren't meant to be, Fate, even if they are right," she cautioned as she rose to greet the stranger.

Fate watched Shamal walk away with the cowboy, sad to see her go. She sat for a long time, turning the empty glass on the scarred tabletop, until she knew what she must do.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the delay. I had to attend some practice for a school festival. Chapters might be delayed from time to time so please be patient for any upcoming chapter.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and its characters, nor do I own this plot since it's directly based on Radclyffe's story of the same title. I just love the story so much and the characters had an uncanny similarity with NanoFate that I had to share this awesome story .. Apologies if I offend anyone.

* * *

**Chapter 16**

Nanoha approached the Harlaowns' back door burdened in body and soul, an overwhelming sense of hopelessness leaving her dazed. She had barely slept, her head ached horribly, and she hadn't been able to manage more than a bit of juice at breakfast. She had no idea how she would get through a morning with Lindy without crying, but the thought of staying at home to face her mother's silent admonitions was even more daunting. As she slowly climbed the stairs to the back porch, the door opened and Lindy Harlaown emerged.

"Come inside, Nanoha," she said kindly, holding the door for her. "It's freezing out here."

Nanoha nodded absently, but she was having trouble putting one foot in front of the other. Everything seemed so impossible.

Lindy took her arm, guiding her into the kitchen. The heat from the ovens accosted Nanoha, and, for an instant, she felt dizzy. She swayed slightly, and Lindy slipped a protective arm around her waist while Nanoha loosened the scarf at her neck and slipped out of her cloak.

"Thank you," Nanoha said hoarsely. Her throat was dry, almost parched.

Lindy looked at her worriedly and passed a cool hand over her forehead. "You look peaked, Nanoha. You'd best take care. Mimi down at the dry goods store says there's quite a few people down with the grippe."

Nanoha shook her head. "I'm fine." She gave a tremulous smile, but her eyes brimmed with tears.

"Well," Lindy said quietly, "you've got a visitor. Go on into the parlor there. I'll bring you some biscuits and tea. You look like you could use it."

Nanoha stared at her, confused. "A visitor?"

"Go on, now," Lindy urged gently.

Nanoha passed through the quiet house toward the room at the end of the hall where she had met the Harlaown on her very first morning in Altseim. She had been a different woman then, bright and eager and filled with expectations. All she could imagine now was a dark future that held no hope of liberty or love. She stepped into the room and stared at the familiar figure waiting by the window. She closed her eyes briefly, sure that she was dreaming.

"Fate?" she whispered when she could speak.

"Nanoha."

And then Fate's arms were around her and Nanoha was clinging to her, sobbing. Nanoha pressed her cheek to Fate's shoulder, silently seeking shelter in her lover's embrace.

"Nanoha," Fate murmured into her hair, stroking her tenderly. "It's all right. It's all right."

But Nanoha knew that it would never be all right again.

"Oh, Fate. I was afraid I might never see you again."

Fate's heart thudded painfully at the thought, but she went on as steadily as she could.

"Tell me what happened, love."

Nanoha spoke slowly, her mind still numb.

"My parents think I've become unbalanced. That the move out here from Cranagan has done things to me." She laughed harshly, a sob forming at the end. "Mother is sure that I've had some kind of breakdown, and Father thinks that being uprooted from home has caused me to suffer a lapse in judgment."

Fate shook her head, trying to make sense of Nanoha's frantic story.

"Because you love me?"

Nanoha smiled at her, her first real smile. Fate's steadfast presence settled her nerves, and she felt sanity returning after the nightmare of the previous evening. This, this woman, this love, was real.

When she spoke again, her voice was calmer.

"No, my darling. Because I don't love Yuuno Scrya." At Fate's continued look of confusion, Nanoha went on, "My mother actually tried to be understanding. She allowed that women often form 'close affections', particularly during stressful times, but every woman knows that those friendships must take a second seat to the responsibilities of a wife. She thinks that I simply need to see that."

Fate grew still as she listened. "They think that if you marry him you won't love me any more?"

"No," Nanoha said quietly. "As long as I don't see you, and perform my wifely duties as expected, I don't think it matters at all to them if I love you or not. We will just not speak of it."

Nanoha recalled the dark look in her father's eyes as he had pronounced that she would accept Yuuno's proposal, which she should have done months ago, and that they would hear no more of her foolish desire to live at Al Hazard ranch with Fate Testarossa.

Fate's jaw clenched. "Can they force you to marry him?"

"No," Nanoha replied. "They love me, despite how it looks. If I refuse, they won't disown me."

"Well," Fate sighed. "That's something. Maybe if we give them a little time, and then talk to them again. Together."

Nanoha gazed into Fate's face, her own eyes dark with anguish. She traced the strong line of Fate's jaw with tremulous fingers, aching with love for her.

"My father was quite clear. They'll send me back to Cranagan as soon as the roads are passable in the spring if I fail to marry by then." Nanoha's heart nearly broke as she watched the color drain slowly from Fate's face and her expression collapse with pain.

"Oh, Lord," Fate whispered, terror finally making her tremble. "They can't send you away!" Fate gripped Nanoha's shoulders in a tortured grasp, her eyes wild. "Can they, Nanoha?"

"I am of age, Fate," Nanoha said slowly, "but how can I defy them? I have neither funds of my own nor any real means of supporting myself. And where could I go?"

Fate's temper flared, although her anger was not at Nanoha. "You can come to me! I love you, Nanoha. You belong with me!" Fate made an effort to control herself. "That's what you want, isn't it? That would make you happy?"

Nanoha kissed her quickly. "Oh, Fate! You make me happier than I've ever been. You are the only thing that matters to me. You must know I love you with all my heart."

Her voice broke and Fate's throat tightened with love for her. "Then come be with me," Fate implored.

Nanoha stroked Fate's arm tenderly. "Oh my love, if only I could. But my father would never allow it! He would look for me there and I won't have you hurt by this!"

"Hurt!" Fate cried, her body stiff with rage. "Hurt! How could I live if you were taken from me? I'd have nothing without you!"

Nanoha slipped her arms around Fate's waist, holding her as if never to let her go. "Nor I, without you."

Moments passed as they stood together, struggling for calm and reason in a world suddenly gone mad. At last Fate spoke, her voice quiet and resigned.

"Then we have to leave here, Nanoha. We'll go away, further west to the Erusia territory. There's gold there still." She drew another deep breath, her resolve growing. "I can even pass for a man if I need to. It's happened before without my meaning it."

Nanoha drew a sharp breath. "No, Fate! You can't leave Al Hazard! It's your home!"

Fate held Nanoha at arm's length and looked deeply into her eyes. "There would be no home for me anywhere without you, Nanoha. I will not let you go."

Nanoha saw the certainty in Fate's burgundy eyes, and something she needed to see even more - the love. "Oh, Fate, I'm so sorry!" she said.

Fate shook her head and smiled tenderly.

"It's all right, Nanoha. Who knows, maybe we'll be able to come back after a season or two." She refused to imagine what it would be like to leave the ranch. She knew what it was like there without Nanoha, and there was no choice at all as to what needed to be done. "We'll need to leave very soon, before the mountain passes are snowed in."

Nanoha stepped away and drew a deep breath, feeling suddenly stronger. "When?"

"Before the end of the week."

"Yes," Nanoha answered, thinking that they had no choice. An instant later she smiled, a thin resolute smile, realizing that for the first time in her life she did have a choice, and her choice was Fate.

"When can you be ready to leave, Nanoha?" Fate asked quietly.

"Soon," Nanoha said purposefully. "There are only a few things that I need to gather without my parents' notice. The day after tomorrow?"

Fate nodded, already planning what she needed to buy on her way out of town. She'd settle at the bank and talk to Zafira. She could trust him. "We'll leave in two days then."

Nanoha flung herself into Fate's arms. "Oh Fate, my love, I'm so sorry."

Fate held her to her breast. "Don't be sorry, Nanoha. Your love is all that matters to me."

* * *

Lindy watched Fate ride out of the yard. She turned as Nanoha came quietly into the kitchen.

"I need to go home, Lindy," Nanoha said softly. "I'm sorry."

"No need to be sorry," Lindy said, packing some hot biscuits into a basket along with a jar of jam. "Take these. You'll be hungry sooner or later."

Nanoha smiled fondly. "You've been very kind. I don't know how my mother or I would have managed without all your help. Thank you."

Lindy looked at her steadily, noting the tear stains still damp on her cheeks and the hint of misery in her eyes. It wasn't any of her affair, but it was plain to see that the child was suffering. Seemed to her that Fate Testarossa had looked the same when she had come to the back door just after sun-up asking if she might wait for Nanoha. Didn't take much sense to see that something serious had happened, and she had a feeling she knew what it was. If it was Shiro and Momoko coming between those two, she didn't see any hope for it.

She sighed and handed Nanoha her cloak.

"Sometimes those that loves us cause more hurt with the loving than they do with anger. You have to be forgiving, if you can."

Nanoha kissed Lindy lightly on the cheek and nodded, knowing that she had already forgiven her parents. She wished she could have had their understanding, but there was no time left to wait. She was not leaving to spite them, merely to save herself. As she hurried home in the cold morning sun, she turned her mind to the future, and, finally, hope returned to her heart.

* * *

Nanoha's head ached terribly and the house seemed intolerably warm as she hurried about gathering up the few clothes and personal treasures that she could not leave behind. Her father was at the newspaper office and her mother was out running errands. It was the first chance that she had to pack. She had written a letter to her parents explaining what she had done, praying with each painful sentence that they would understand and someday believe that she was happy. She put the envelope on her bedside table, intending to leave it in the kitchen the next day for them to find. She wanted to get everything ready so that she could leave as soon as the house was empty in the morning. Tomorrow was Momoko's day to visit her new friends at the ladies' weekly luncheon gathering.

_Tomorrow_, she thought, _tomorrow I will go to Fate and we will make a new life._

It had only been twenty-four hours since they had parted, but she already missed Fate terribly. Now, when things were so very hard, she needed her near. Fate was always so calm, so steady. So strong. When she thought of Fate leaving the ranch, Nanoha's heart ached. She had only to envision Fate standing on the wide front porch looking contentedly out over her land, or astride one of her great horses, grinning and confidant and so totally at peace, to know what a great sacrifice Fate was making. Nanoha hated for Fate to give up such a part of herself, but she could not imagine any other way. They could not stay, and Nanoha could not give her up. They must go, because to lose Fate would surely kill her.

She opened her travel trunk, the one she had packed with such optimism less than a year before. She passed a trembling hand over her forehead, wiping with a handkerchief at the icy sweat that had broken out there. She felt suddenly cold. Shivering, she reached for a shawl. She finished filling the suitcase, adding to the top her slim book of sonnets. She remembered sitting by Fate's bedside reading them, and the thought of Fate warmed her even as her body grew more chilled. She dragged the heavy valise toward her closet, suddenly lightheaded. She grasped the dresser for support, dizzy. She had had no breakfast, being much too nervous to eat. She could not recall if she had eaten dinner the night before. It was becoming more difficult by the moment for her to think clearly.

"I must get something to drink," she murmured, frightened by the trembling in her limbs. She descended the staircase unsteadily and made her way carefully to the kitchen, one hand trailing along the wall, struggling to stay upright. She found a pitcher of tea her mother had left in the heavy icebox and carried it with shaking hands to the table.

"A bit of bread and honey is all I need," she murmured, her vision wavering slightly. She laid the shawl aside, much too warm now.

As she reached for a glass, her head spun and a wave of nausea overtook her. She clutched the counter, her knees buckling, the room swirling about her. A curtain of gray obscured her vision, and she was dimly aware of the cool kitchen floor under her cheek. Barely conscious, too weak to rise, she called Fate's name. She lost all sense of time. At some point she was aware of being moved, and voices rising and falling somewhere far away. She struggled weakly, protesting incoherently, as someone removed her clothing. She tried desperately to focus, knowing there was something she must do. Somewhere she must go. Eventually her body surrendered to the fever and she slipped into total unconsciousness, Fate's name, unspoken, on her lips.

* * *

Fate paced the length of the porch, watching the dusk give way to darkness. A tarp-covered wagon stood waiting behind the house, packed with all they would need for their trip over the Rockies. Star and Rory were fed and bridled, ready for the journey as well. She stood at the rail, one arm braced along the porch post, staring toward the cookhouse. There were lights in the windows and the smell of stew in the air. Zafira would be there, with the men. God, it was hard, saying goodbye.

Zafira had said little when she told him she was leaving. He had stood quietly, chewing thoughtfully on a piece of hay, as Fate explained that she would send legal papers giving him the authority to handle all the business affairs of the ranch. She thought at one point her voice would give out, but she held steady and looked him in the eye while she talked.

When she finished and fell silent, Zafira had looked past her toward the mountains, as if gauging the climb. "You'll need to hurry if you're going to beat the snows," he said finally.

"Yes," she replied, waiting.

He had taken off his hat and brushed it lightly against his thigh. They leaned against the corral fence, the two of them, hunched in their heavy jackets, eyes tearing faintly in the cold wind.

"I know you ain't running from the law," he said at length.

"No."

"There are only two things I know that will make a man leave his home," Zafira remarked quietly, his eyes still fixed on the distant hills. "The law, or a woman."

She stiffened slightly, pushed her hands a little deeper in the pockets of her jacket. "Yes."

He looked at her, and all he saw was the same clear gaze and steady strength he had always seen.

"Ain't nothing you can do but leave?"

Her eyes grew dark with pain, the anger gone now. "No."

"Well," he said after another long pause. "When you feel you can come back, it will all still be here waitin'. I can assure you that."

They had remained a while longer, their shoulders barely touching, watching the sky cloud over and the wind blow bare branches around the yard. She was glad for his company because it kept the sadness away.

That had been hours ago, and Nanoha should have arrived before sundown. Fate looked up the road in the descending gloom for the hundredth time, even though she knew in her heart that Nanoha would have come by now if she were coming at all. Something must have happened. Perhaps she had been discovered. A faint voice in the back of her mind kept whispering that perhaps Nanoha had changed her mind, that Nanoha would have come had she wanted to. Perhaps when the moment had come, Nanoha could not say goodbye. Too much risk, too much loss. Fate could almost understand if that's what had happened. It would be harder for Nanoha than for her, leaving everything behind. Maybe what they shared wasn't enough, maybe - maybe -

"No," she growled under her breath, beginning to pace again. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't! She remembered Nanoha's eyes when Nanoha had declared that she loved her. She remembered Nanoha's touch, and her smile, and her soft sighs as they lay quietly wrapped in one another after loving. Of course Nanoha would come. She had said that she would! But the night said otherwise.

When total darkness finally surrounded her, Fate sat on the steps, weary from the hours of anxious waiting, elbows propped on her knees, her head down. She stared bleakly at nothing, her mind a blank. The star-filled sky revolved slowly overhead and the night air drew down around her, but she remained motionless, impervious to the cold that slowly chilled her to the bone. When all the lights were out in the bunkhouses, and even the night seemed to sleep, she roused herself. Star and Rory still waited patiently, tied to the wagon, and she could not leave them unsheltered in the brutal wind. Mechanically, she walked them down to the barn, removed their bridles, and led them into stalls. Then she made her way back up to the house, pausing on the porch to search the dark with desperate eyes, hoping to see salvation emerge from the shadows. She swayed slightly, grasping the banister to steady herself, running a hand over her face, surprised at the moisture on her cheeks. She couldn't feel anything. Then, very slowly, she turned her back to the road, walked into the house, and shut the door behind her.

* * *

A/N: Just 3 more chapters left. Until next time =D


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and its characters, nor do I own this plot since it's directly based on Radclyffe's story of the same title. I just love the story so much and the characters had an uncanny similarity with NanoFate that I had to share this awesome story .. Apologies if I offend anyone.

* * *

**Chapter 17**

For four days the illness had raged through Altseim, and a growing panic seized the townspeople. Almost half the families in town had been struck by the fast-moving influenza, and everyone knew someone sick with the high fevers, wracking coughs, and suffocating bloody fluids in the lungs. In some homes there had been deaths, mostly among the very young or the very old, the ones with little strength to fight the rampaging infection. But here and there it was a young man or woman, struck down suddenly, and taken within hours. Those who had escaped the disease were afraid to go out and the streets lay eerily deserted. The few who were too restless or too stubborn to stay inside congregated at the saloon.

Zest had come down sick the previous day, and Shamal and those of her girls who were still well were looking after the customers in the bar. Conversation was slight, most men lingering remorsefully over half-finished drinks, not wanting to talk of news that seemed all bad. Shamal tried to keep up appearances, chatting briefly with each newcomer, forcing a smile. She stared in surprise at the newest face in the long row of unshaven men leaning against the bar. Clyde Harlaown nodded hello, his face drawn and pale.

"Clyde!" Shamal said warmly, "Never expected to see you in here during daylight hours. Wish it was under better circumstances. What can I get you?"

Clyde smiled wanly. "A good strong whiskey, Shamal. Things are getting terrible, just terrible."

Shamal looked at him pityingly and poured him a drink. "How are your people, Clyde?" she asked gently.

He looked at her with sorrowful eyes. "My Chrono's ailing with it, but the Doc said last night that the boy had passed the crisis, thank the good Lord. He wasn't sick at all just three days ago, and then -

-" His voice broke and he looked away. "So fast. It comes so fast." He cleared his throat and reached for the glass that Shamal had filled for him. "The Doc says we're probably lucky to have lived through that terrible spell in '52. Makes us stronger now, he says."

She patted his hand. "That's fine, Clyde, just fine."

She had missed the terrible epidemic that swept over the western plains and beyond over a decade before, decimating the Indian populations and new settlers as well, but she had seen the effects of the devastating infection in the crowded tenements of Augusta City, and death looked the same everywhere. She prayed that this outbreak would be over quickly, and the losses few. Lord, life was hard enough without this, too.

But Clyde was beyond consoling. He had come to the saloon because he needed to talk, and he couldn't burden his wife, who was so busy herself looking after the boy and helping the neighbors, too. He continued to ramble, almost to himself.

"There are so many, Shamal. So many others sick with it." He sighed. "More will die, God help us."

"Clyde," Shamal said kindly, touching his hand. "These people are strong, pioneer stock. They'll survive. Don't you be giving up hope now."

He raised remorseful eyes to hers. "It's Shiro and Momoko Takamachi I feel so bad about. They're not like the rest of us, not used to such hardships. I feel like it's my fault for bringing them out here. That girl is going to be on my conscience, Shamal!" Tears brimmed in his eyes and he reached quickly for his pocket handkerchief.

Shamal stared at him, an awful fear crowding out her breath.

"Clyde, what are you talking about?"

"It's their daughter, Nanoha," he replied when he managed to contain himself. "She came down with the illness yesterday and Doc says she's very bad. Might not even make it til tomorrow." He finished his drink. "My fault. All my fault."

Shamal wanted to scream at him to hush so she could think. Nanoha dying? That couldn't be, could it? Not young, beautiful, vibrant Nanoha. But of course it could. There was no rhyme or reason to these things, and very little one could do to change fate. Not a thing, really.

She turned away from the lonely man, unable to summon any words of solace. She moved sadly down the bar, pouring shots of inadequate comfort for the mourners.

* * *

The house had a dark, deserted look about it. The windows were dead eyes looking back at her, and no smoke curled from the chimney. For an instant her heart seized with terror. What if death had visited here already? Would anyone have thought to tell her? Wouldn't she have known somehow if she were gone? Controlling her panic, Shamal knocked on the wide front door. When there was no answer, she pushed open the door and hesitantly stepped inside. It was cold, as if all life had departed days before.

"Who is it?" a low, quiet voice said out of the darkness.

Shamal cried out sharply, her eyes searching the hallway, trying to peer into the room from which the voice had emanated.

"Fate? For God's sake, Fate, is that you?"

Suddenly a match flared, flickered, and then caught. A moment later lamplight illuminated the library in a faint yellow glow. Fate stood wraith-like by the fireplace, pale and hollow-eyed. She placed the lamp on the mantle and turned slowly toward Shamal, her normally straight back slumped, her gaze dazed and listless.

"What is it, Shamal?" she asked slowly. She gripped the edge of the stone ledge tightly, a little unsteady on her feet. She hadn't had much to eat. Couldn't remember her last meal actually. The fireplace was empty; she hadn't cooked. She dimly recalled Zafira coming up to the house that morning, or maybe it was the night before, asking after her. Saying he had seen the wagon still out back, warning that the snows were coming any day. She had sent him away, telling him she would not be needing the wagon after all. He had wanted to say more, she could see the worry in his face, but she shut the door. There was nothing to say.

Fate looked up from the cold hearth, surprised to see Shamal standing there, staring at her. She cleared her throat. "What is it?" she asked again.

Shamal came forward slowly, wondering if Fate was sick with what everyone else had. She looked so drained, so empty. Shamal had never seen her look like that, not even right after her father had been killed.

"Fate," she said quietly. "Fate, are you sick?"

"No, Shamal," Fate said with a shake of her head, confused. She didn't feel anything. That strange numbness was still there, everywhere.

"Then what are you doing in here in the dark?" Shamal was so worried and so scared she was beginning to lose her temper. "It's freezing in here, too! Are you trying to get sick?"

The hard edge in Shamal's voice penetrated Fate's muddled consciousness.

"I'm not sick, Shamal," she said, a little of the life returning to her voice. "What are you talking about? Why are you here?"

Shamal gasped. "Lord, you don't know, do you?"

"Know what?" Fate asked, an ominous dread stirring in her chest. "What's happening?"

"The grippe," Shamal said bitterly. "It hit town a bit ago, and the last two days have seen some sorrow."

Fate's face slowly lost its last trace of color. "Nanoha," she whispered.

God, she was a fool! Why hadn't she gone into town and looked for her? Why had she let her doubts keep her away? She grabbed Shamal's shoulders, leaning down to look into her face. Her eyes were wide and wild.

"Nanoha! Is she sick?"

Shamal paused, not sure until just that moment what she had come to say. The torment and terror in Fate's face convinced her. She nodded, then said very quietly, "She's bad, Fate. The Doc says she doesn't have long."

Fate's head snapped back as if she had been struck. For a moment she was completely still, the only movement a faint pulse beating in her neck. Then a horrible glint flashed in her eyes and a sound more like a snarl that a word tore from her throat. "No!"

Shamal reached for her as Fate snatched her gun belt from the table and strapped it on.

"Fate," she said hesitantly, afraid of what Fate might do in her state of mind. "Her family -"

The look Fate gave her stopped Shamal cold.

"There's not a man alive can keep me away from her, Shamal," Fate answered stonily, heading for the door.

"I can't let her die without me there."

* * *

A commotion at the front door roused Momoko from an uneasy slumber. She had been restlessly napping in the small sitting room adjoining Nanoha's bedroom while Lindy kept watch. Shiro had retired to his library hours before, too distraught to sit vigil at his daughter's bedside. Lindy came into the room just as Momoko was rising.

"Whoever is at the door?" Momoko asked impatiently. "They'll disturb Nanoha!"

Lindy regarded Momoko sympathetically, not mentioning that Nanoha had not been aware of anything for some time. Momoko's hair was falling from its pins, her eyes were hollow, and her face gaunt. Poor woman, Lindy thought, and whispered a quick prayer of thanks that her own son was on the mend.

"It's Fate Testarossa. Shiro is talking with her now."

Momoko stared uncomprehendingly for a moment, her confused expression quickly turning to alarm. "Here? She's here?"

Lindy nodded. She and Momoko had had little chance to talk about any of the events of the last few days. She had only, just that evening, been able to leave Chrono and had come straight to the Takamachi house, knowing that Momoko would need help looking after Nanoha. As soon as she arrived, she sent Momoko off for some much needed rest. She had been sitting by Nanoha's bedside, sponging the fever sweat from her face and neck when she first heard the pounding on the front door. She went to the top of the landing to see who was there, afraid that it might have been Clyde come to say that Chrono had taken poorly again. Instead it was Fate Testarossa standing in the doorway, and Shiro Takamachi blocking her way. Lindy thought from Fate's expression that she might shoot him.

"Why has she come?" Momoko repeated distractedly, hastily dressing.

"I suspect that she wants to see Nanoha."

"Impossible." Momoko said firmly.

"I don't think she's going to go away, Momoko," Lindy said softly.

"No, I suppose not," Momoko said in a strange voice. She slipped her hand into the pocket of the apron she wore and handed it to Lindy. "I found this on Nanoha's bedside table yesterday."

Lindy carefully unfolded the much-read note and studied the message written there.

_Oh Lord_, she thought, as she read.

_Poor Nanoha._

When she finished, she slowly handed it back to Momoko. She wasn't sure what to say, so she waited for Momoko to speak.

"Nanoha was going to run away," Momoko said, clearly shocked by the idea. She looked at Lindy with a weary pain in her eyes. "Can you imagine? She was simply going to disappear somewhere with that young woman."

"Seems they care for one another," Lindy said carefully.

Momoko looked at her in surprise. "But to leave us like that! Nanoha must have been ill, not thinking clearly." But she didn't sound convinced.

"Nanoha has a sound head on her, Momoko. She left that note because she loves you and Shiro. She didn't want you to worry too much."

"You're not saying that you approve?" Momoko asked in astonishment.

Lindy shrugged. "It's not for me to approve or disapprove. I just think that Nanoha knows her mind."

"So you think that we should encourage this madness? That I should allow that young woman to see Nanoha?" Momoko queried defensively. Oh, if only they had never left Cranagan!

"Momoko," Lindy said quietly, "I lost my three youngest in the epidemic of '52. It's a sorrow you never get over, burying a child." She saw the expression of pain and fright in Momoko's face, and regretted causing it, but she continued on, fearing Nanoha's loss more than Momoko's anger. "Love has strange power. If Fate Testarossa can keep Nanoha with you, I'd surely say pride had no place in the matter."

Momoko stared at her wordlessly. Nanoha had barely been conscious the last twelve hours, and when she had managed any words at all, she had whispered Fate's name. Lindy was right. If there was any chance under heaven that this young woman could make a difference - well, she'd worry about the rest of it later. She turned determinedly toward the stairs.

"Thank you, Lindy," she murmured as she hurried past.

* * *

Fate faced Shiro in the doorway, very close to losing all control.

"I must see Nanoha!" she repeated, her voice dangerously low.

Shiro continued to stand in her way, his grief overpowering all reason. He couldn't think of anything except that Nanoha had planned to leave them, and now she might.

"Nanoha is going to die in peace." he shouted, his anger at the monstrous injustice seeking any object upon which to vent his rage.

Fate passed a quivering hand over her eyes, unable to bear his words.

"No. Please. Just let me see her."

"Why," he said harshly, "what can you do?"

Fate met his gaze, her face filled with torment.

"I love her. Please, I -"

"Get out!" he ordered stonily.

Fate could bear the agony no longer. She would not let Nanoha go this way. She could not.

"Get out of my way or I'll kill you!" She reached reflexively for her revolver, but did not draw it, some last fragment of sanity stilling her hand.

Momoko gasped, uncertain from the look on Fate's face whether she meant to shoot Shiro or herself. Momoko descended the last few steps and moved suddenly between them.

"Stop this, both of you! Carrying on this way with Nanoha upstairs.'' She turned to her husband, her eyes resolute. "Let her go to her, Shiro. What harm can it do now?"

Fate was already past them, taking the stairs two at a time. She slowed when she saw Lindy standing in an open doorway and stepped quietly past her into a dimly lit room, finding her breath suddenly short. She scarcely registered the valise standing open by the closet, nor anything about the room other than the slight figure in the bed. Her heart hammered so hard in her chest she thought its sound alone might awaken Nanoha.

There was an eerie stillness about the way Nanoha lay motionless, eyes closed, face pale and glistening with sweat. The bedcovers barely rose with each shallow, labored breath. Fate knelt next to her, reaching out with trembling fingers to gently stroke Nanoha's cheek.

"Nanoha," she murmured, the word a faint cry. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to steady herself, then spoke again, her voice stronger.

"Nanoha, love. It's Fate." She pressed her lips to Nanoha's hot palm, her own warm tears landing softly on the fragile skin. "Nanoha, can you hear me?"

After what seemed a very long time and with tremendous effort, Nanoha's lids flickered open and her gaze rested feverishly on Fate's face.

"Fate?"

Fate rejoiced. Nanoha was not gone. She would not let her go.

"Yes, love. I'm here."

"I - tried- to come," Nanoha managed, wanting so much for Fate to know that.

"I know," Fate choked, drowning in her fear. She struggled for strength, gasping, "And when you are well again, we will be together always. I promise you, Nanoha. I promise," she repeated desperately.

Her voice broke. "Please, Nanoha."

Nanoha's sapphire eyes were suddenly quite clear, and very calm. She smiled at Fate, and her voice held an odd note of peace. "I won't be going away with you, Fate darling. You must be without me for a while."

Fate shook her head, her body wracked with sobs. "No, Nanoha! You will be well again."

Nanoha shook her head weakly and raised her hand to Fate's tear-streaked face.

"Fate, my only love. You must say goodbye."

Momoko Takamachi, watching from the hall, stifled a sob and turned away as Fate leaned over to press her lips to Nanoha's.

This moment was not hers to witness.

* * *

A/N: Just few more chapters left. I'm thinking of taking a break after this chapter... but then I might get forked by a certain fan XD.

Until next time~


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and its characters, nor do I own this plot since it's directly based on Radclyffe's story of the same title. I just love the story so much and the characters had an uncanny similarity with NanoFate that I had to share this awesome story .. Apologies if I offend anyone.

* * *

**Chapter 18**

As the darkest hours of night enshrouded the Takamachi home, Momoko returned to Nanoha's room. She entered silently, stopping at the sound of soft words murmured in quiet desperation. Fate was still on her knees at Nanoha's bedside, her head bowed over Nanoha's still figure, Nanoha's hand clasped in both of hers. She was no longer crying, but her voice cracked with anguish.

"Nanoha," she implored, sure that somewhere, Nanoha heard her.

"I love you, Nanoha. Oh Lord, Nanoha, I don't know how I'll -" She brushed at the tears that fell again, drawing a shaky breath. She couldn't let Nanoha die being worried for her. She straightened her shoulders, but each word tore pieces from her heart. "It will be all right, Nanoha. I will never leave you, I swear. I will wait here, or hereafter, however long it need be. I am here, love."

Momoko placed her hand gently on Fate's trembling shoulder, shocked at her frailty. Her hard strength seemed to have dissolved as Nanoha's life slipped away.

"Fate," Momoko murmured, her anger and suspicion disappearing in the face of Fate's torment. "Let it go, child. The Lord will do His bidding."

Fate turned to Momoko in mute despair. Momoko was stunned by the desolation in her eyes, and, instinctively, she reached out to comfort a suffering soul. She wrapped Fate in her arms, holding her while she cried, rocking her and stroking her damp face. At last Momoko led Fate stumbling to a chair by the window.

"Wait here. We will know by morning," Momoko said hollowly. She took a chair by Nanoha's beside to keep vigil. Absently, she reached for the thin leather volume that she had found in Nanoha's luggage.

The book fell open to a well-read page. Momoko picked up the photo marking the place and studied the image by the dim light of the oil lamp. Momoko could see that Fate had been smiling at Nanoha when Nanoha took the photograph. There was a carefree exuberance about her that made Momoko's heart ache. They were both so young, and for a moment she forgot that they were two young women, seeing only the love she could not deny. She began to read the poem that Nanoha had marked with Fate's photograph.

_So are you to my thoughts as food to life,_

_Or as sweet-season'd showers are to the ground; _

_And for the peace of you I hold such strife..._

Her vision blurred and she could not go on, feeling as if she had tread upon some sacred place. She looked from Nanoha's fragile countenance to Fate's haunted face and prayed for them both.

* * *

As the hours passed, Nanoha's fever consumed her, draining the last reserves of strength from her weakened body. Her breathing grew more and more labored, and finally Momoko rose to find her husband, fearing that it might already be too late for him to say goodbye. Her eyes met Fate's, and Momoko had to look away, shaken by the agony in them. She had not thought it possible that anyone, man or woman, could love so unreservedly as that.

When Momoko and Shiro Takamachi entered the silent room just before dawn, Fate stood by the window looking out into blackness, her back to them, her face veiled in shadows. She did not turn, knowing what they would find. She had heard when the faint arduous struggles of Nanoha's uneven breathing had stopped, and in that instant, a darkness deeper than night had fallen over her world.

It would remain there, she knew, forever.

Momoko's muffled cry, and Shiro's faint groan, pierced her heart and she closed her eyes. She could not bear knowing Nanoha was gone, even if it might be to some better place. For that she fervently hoped, but it gave her no comfort as the first terrible anguish of loss ripped through her.

_In a moment_, she thought, _in a moment I will go and leave them with their daughter, and their grief. _

She kept one hand braced tightly on the windowsill, uncertain that her legs would carry her from the room. Her body trembled uncontrollably.

"Shiro!" Momoko cried.

"Oh Nanoha," Fate whispered brokenly.

"Is she gone?" Shiro groaned.

"I love you, Nanoha," Fate thought, forcing herself to turn, wanting to see her, not knowing how she would say goodbye.

Momoko stood with her hand resting on Nanoha's cheek, boundless joy on her face. "Her face is cool! The fever has broken. She is only sleeping!"

Fate bowed her head and wept.

* * *

Fate was seated by the bed, Nanoha's hand in hers, when Momoko returned from speaking with the doctor. Nanoha slept on peacefully. Fate brushed her lips over Nanoha's palm, then laid Nanoha's hand gently down upon her breast. She rose to face Momoko, fearful of the news.

"He said that it will probably be a long convalescence, but there's good reason to hope she will recover fully," Momoko said quietly, standing just inside Nanoha's bedroom door. For some reason, she felt as if she were intruding on something intensely personal every time she looked at Fate Testarossa gaze at her daughter. There was nothing unseemly about it, only something so intimate it made her uncomfortable. She hadn't imagined even a man and a woman could share such feeling.

"I'll be going now," Fate said softly. She could barely manage the words. She was worn beyond exhaustion. Empty.

Momoko stared from Fate's tortured eyes to Nanoha, deep in healing sleep. She said nothing. It was best, at least it would be in time, if this could end now.

"Will you tell her I was here?" Fate asked, brushing sweat from her face with a trembling hand. "Please?"

"It would be best if I didn't."

The words struck like a blow and Fate's eyes flickered closed for a moment. She steadied herself with one hand on the edge of the bedside table. When she caught her breath, she met Momoko's gaze directly.

"Would it? Is hurting her ever for the best?"

Momoko looked away, remembering the words Nanoha had written in the farewell letter.

_"I love her, more than I will ever love anyone else in my life. I need to be with her, or my life will not be worth living". _

Surely, surely, Nanoha could not have meant that.

"What would you give to make her happy?" Momoko asked suddenly.

"Anything," Fate answered immediately.

"Then go, leave her. Let Nanoha alone to live the life she should." The words were spoken pleadingly, with no anger. Momoko had seen enough to know that there was no sin between them, only an ill- advised affection. Women were not meant to live for passion, or even happiness, but to do their duty. Nanoha would simply have to accept that!

"Mrs. Takamachi," Fate said steadily, mustering all the strength she had left. "If Nanoha tells me to go, I swear to you that I will never see her again."

"And if she does not?" Momoko asked wearily.

"Then there is nothing and no one who will keep me from her. If you send her away, I will find her. I promised her that I would never stop loving her." She looked one last time at Nanoha and then slowly walked past Momoko toward the stairs.

"I meant it."

* * *

A steady rapping on the door awakened Fate. She looked around the room, trying to figure out where she was and how she got there. She was on a bed, still in her clothes, her hat and gun belt on the chair nearby. Her head ached and her stomach was queasy. She turned toward the window. It looked like it was late in the day, and as she struggled to orient herself, the rapping came again.

"Come in," she croaked. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Come in."

She swung her legs over the side of the bed but didn't feel steady enough to stand just yet. Shamal came in carrying coffee and toast on a tray and Fate could have kissed her.

"Lord, that smells good," Fate groaned.

Shamal sat down on the bed next to Fate and set the tray between them.

"Well, you look a mite better than this morning, but not by much. Drink some of that. You need it."

Fate reached for the steaming cup, vaguely recalling that she had stumbled into the hotel just after dawn. Shamal had still been up. She remembered Shamal's arm around her waist, helping her up the stairs. And Shamal laying her down, and starting to unbutton her shirt.

"Thanks," Fate said at length. "For last night - this morning, I mean."

"How are you, Fate?" Shamal asked. It didn't seem to her that the sleep had done Fate much good. Her eyes were darkly shadowed, her face drawn and etched with pain. She didn't look quite as wild as when Shamal had seen her out at the ranch, but she was still far from right.

"How's Nanoha?"

A faint light of happiness flared in Fate's eyes. "She's better, Shamal. The Doc says-" She faltered, her throat suddenly tight, and she looked away. In a minute she continued. "The Doc says she will get well."

Shamal put her hand gently on Fate's arm. "That's fine, Fate," she said, meaning it. "That's fine."

Fate nodded. "Yes."

She stood wearily.

"I should get back to the ranch."

"You should lay back down and sleep for two days," Shamal said roughly, standing quickly, moving to stop her from reaching for her gun belt. "You're in no shape to ride. You look like a good wind could blow you away. You need rest, or you'll be sick abed too and no good to anyone, least of all Nanoha."

"Nanoha?" Fate asked dumbly. She was having a very hard time making sense of anything anymore. Just a few days ago she had been set to leave behind everything she had ever known so that she might have a life with Nanoha. Then for long agonizing hours she had believed Nanoha was about to die, and that nightmare haunted her still. She had no idea what to do next.

"You don't think you're the first person she'll want to see when she wakes up?" Shamal said with exasperation. "You're going to need all your wits to handle that family, and she's going to need you to be strong."

"What if they won't let me see her?" Fate said, her voice low and tortured. Lord, she was tired, and her mind was so muddled.

Shamal cursed her own stupidity. Why was she always taking Nanoha's side in all of this? Why hadn't she just ignored Fate's protests and finished undressing her this morning? She should have just crawled onto that bed next to her the way she'd been wanting to do for years, and maybe then Fate would have given up this damn fool idea of being with Nanoha Takamachi.

Shamal looked at Fate and knew why she had done none of those things. Fate loved Nanoha and there was no changing it.

She sighed. "Lightning, I don't believe there's a man alive who could stop you from doin' something if you set your mind to it. Once you get some sleep, you'll know that too."

Shamal put her arm around Fate's shoulders and directed her back to the bed. Fate followed without objection, and even let Shamal remove her shirt and pants. She smiled faintly when Shamal leaned down and kissed her lightly, chastely, on the mouth. By the time Shamal gently closed the door, Fate was asleep again.

* * *

Nanoha opened her eyes and lay quietly in the still room, listening to the sounds of pages quietly turning. She was very weak, but there was no pain. In fact, she felt very calm, serene. After a moment, she moved her head on the pillow and looked at her mother, who sat reading nearby.

"Mother," Nanoha whispered.

"Oh!" Momoko exclaimed, dropping her book in her haste to reach Nanoha's side. "Oh, Nanoha. We were so worried!"

Nanoha smiled faintly. "I'm sorry."

"Hush," Momoko chided gently, brushing Nanoha's hair back from her face. "I'll get your father. He's still asleep."

Nanoha held tightly to her mother's hand. "Wait."

Momoko pulled the chair closer and sat, watching Nanoha worriedly.

"Where is Fate?" Nanoha asked softly.

Momoko hesitated, then answered truthfully.

"I don't know."

Nanoha's expression darkened. "Is she all right? She isn't ill is she?"

"Not that I know of. Don't upset yourself, Nanoha," Momoko urged. "You need to worry about getting well. Nothing else."

Nanoha shook her head. "I need to see her. When she comes, be sure to wake me."

Momoko looked at her in surprise. "When she comes?"

Nanoha's smile was fleeting, but sure.

"She'll come, as soon as she's able. I know that she was here. I can remember her voice. Her hands." Nanoha looked at her mother, knowing her expressions well. "You found the note, didn't you?"

Momoko dropped her eyes. "Yes. We can talk about that later."

"There's nothing to talk about," Nanoha said faintly, suddenly very tired. "I will never change my mind. No matter what we must do, where we must go -"

"Oh Nanoha," Momoko sighed as her daughter gave in to sleep. She despaired of ever changing Nanoha's mind. And if she couldn't, then what was she to do? She and Shiro could not force her into marriage, and if she sent Nanoha East, what then? Would that be enough to keep them apart? Momoko remembered the determination on Fate Testarossa' face and the certainty in Nanoha's eyes. She did not think so.

She had almost lost Nanoha to death, and the unthinkable agony of that near loss lingered in her mind. Nanoha had been returned to her, a gift. She would surely lose her, she realized, if she tried to stand in their way, and that thought was more unbearable than anything else.

She remembered Lindy's words: _Love has strange power. If Fate Testarossa can keep Nanoha with you_ - She leaned down and kissed Nanoha's cool forehead, whispering a prayer of thanks for her child's life.

* * *

Fate unconsciously straightened her shoulders as Shiro Takamachi opened the door. He stood looking at her for a long moment, as if making a decision. He looked years older. Fate figured she didn't look a whole lot better herself. She had slept one entire day through, and when she had awakened she found her shirt and pants cleaned and waiting by the bedside. She had dressed hastily and come straight to the Takamachi's. Now she waited for him to say whatever he needed to say. She was calm, resolute. Only Nanoha could send her away.

Shiro stepped out onto the porch and closed the door. He searched his pockets for a cigar as he walked to the rail. It was starting to snow, and the air was very cold. He snipped off the end of the cigar and lit it as Fate came to stand beside him.

"Strange country, this," he said at last. "So beautiful, but so deadly."

"Is it so different, back in Cranagan?" Fate asked quietly.

Shiro looked at her, surprised. "Not so beautiful. Maybe just as deadly, but it more often kills the spirit than the body."

She nodded, thinking there couldn't be much worse than dying inside while you were still walking around. The way she had felt when Nanoha was sick.

"How is Nanoha?"

"She is very weak, and she will need a long rest. The doctor said another episode like this one could be dangerous. But by spring, he said, she should be fine."

Fate sighed, some of the tension leaving her body.

Spring. Five months.

"Is it true, what she says?" Shiro asked, his voice low, his eyes still fixed on the far away mountain peaks. "That you love her?"

Fate turned to meet his questioning glance. "Yes."

"She says that the two of you will go away, west somewhere, if we try to prevent her from living with you at the ranch." He said it as if the words were foreign to him, bewilderment in his tone and expression.

"Yes."

Finally he met her gaze directly. "Will you promise me something?"

She waited.

"Will you promise to care for her always?"

_We will care for each other_, she thought, but she understood what he was asking.

"Yes."

"And you will not take her away from us."

Fate shook her head. "No, I would never want to do that. Nanoha loves you."

Shiro sighed tiredly. "Then I'll not keep you from her. I will not lose her to pride."

Fate felt suddenly dizzy as a great weight was lifted from her heart. She drew a deep breath, and then another, finally feeling the strength return to her limbs.

"I'd like to see her now."

"She's waiting," he said softly. He did not turn as she walked into the house.

* * *

Nanoha was sitting up in bed, her eyes alight with joy, as Fate came toward her. She frowned just a little when she saw the dark circles under Fate's normally clear eyes.

Then Fate was leaning down to kiss her, and she forgot everything except how soft were her lips and how gentle her fingers as they stroked her cheek.

After a long moment Fate stepped back and smiled. "Nanoha."

"Hello, my darling," Nanoha answered, reaching for Fate's hand and tugging her down onto the bed next to her. She rested her head on Fate's shoulder, wrapping her arm around her waist, sighing contentedly.

Fate pressed her lips to Nanoha's temple. "Your mother is likely to come up here, Nanoha," Fate warned. "She saw me on my way inside."

She had been surprised at Momoko's calm greeting. There had been something close to acceptance in her eyes.

Nanoha shook her head, holding Fate tighter.

"No, not this time. In the future we may very well have a chaperone while I am living here, but not this time. She knows how much I need you here now."

"Lord, I love you, Nanoha," Fate whispered, gently stroking her. "When you're well, you'll come to the ranch."

"Yes," Nanoha answered, drawing strength from Fate's presence. "Soon."

Fate hesitated, remembering Shiro's warning about Nanoha's still fragile health. Winters at the ranch were the hardest season of the year. She often couldn't get into to town for weeks because of high snows and frigid temperatures. She couldn't risk Nanoha falling sick again that far from medical care.

"You'll need time to recover, Nanoha. And winter has come. You should stay here until spring."

Nanoha raised herself enough to look into Fate's face, wondering how Fate could so easily accept that separation.

"Do you imagine that I could stand to be away from you for five months?" Her hand slid slowly over Fate's chest, lingering over the swell of her breast, teasing her until she felt the hardened nipple through her cotton shirt.

Fate's eyes widened and grew dark.

"Nanoha," she whispered, catching Nanoha's hand in hers to still her movement. She tried desperately to ignore the pounding that had started in her belly from just that brief caress, aware that she had no strength at all to stop what Nanoha had begun. "I want you so much just being here next to you. You'll kill me if you do that."

"Then don't make me wait all winter," Nanoha threatened, but she settled back into the crook of Fate's arm, too tired yet to do more.

Fate drew a ragged breath, thanking the Lord that Nanoha didn't know how near she was to losing all hold on herself.

"I'll be gone almost two months before the roundup, up in the mountains with the men," she managed to say. "Won't get down to the ranch but for a few days here or there."

Nanoha knew that what Fate said made sense. She could barely stand, and would be of no help on the ranch. But so long! She couldn't imagine being without Fate's sweet touch all that time.

"We'll have little chance to be alone," Nanoha warned, "if I stay here."

Fate nodded unhappily. "I know, and don't think I won't be suffering. But I'll ride into town as often as I can."

She raised Nanoha's chin with her fingers, looking deeply into her eyes. "I need you, Nanoha. I need you to love me, the way we do when we're alone. Lord, how I need that. But I need you well and with me more than anything else." She swallowed, wanting Nanoha's reassuring touch to banish her fears and the memory of nearly losing her, but knowing that it was not time. She closed her eyes against the fierce wanting.

Nanoha read the need in her face and heard the yearning in her voice.

"Fate," she whispered, aching to ease those longings. "I love you."

Fate smiled shakily. "Well, I guess I can wait a while for the rest."

Nanoha snuggled closer, suddenly exhausted. She might have to wait five months to live with her, but she had no intention of waiting that long to love her again. She closed her eyes, and fell asleep to dream of Fate.

* * *

A/N: If anyone is curious about the poem, it came from Shakespeare's Sonnet #75. The epilogue will be posted soon.


	19. Chapter 19: Epilogue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and its characters, nor do I own this plot since it's directly based on Radclyffe's story of the same title. I just love the story so much and the characters had an uncanny similarity with NanoFate that I had to share this awesome story .. Apologies if I offend anyone.

* * *

**EPILOGUE**

The people of Altseim slowly resumed their lives in the aftermath of the illness, but for many the struggles had brought changes and a renewed sense of appreciation for each day's gifts. Shiro Takamachi spent lunchtimes at home, basking in the sound of Nanoha's soft laughter as she recovered. Never had life seemed so precious.

Nanoha grew stronger day by day, as content as she could be waiting for the times when Fate managed to come in from the ranch to spend an afternoon with her. Never alone, through the long months of winter they shared devotions with a glance and made promises on a smile, the brief touch of fingers and the fleeting brush of lips their only caress. As hard as it was to be near Fate and not be able to touch her as she so desperately wanted, it was harder still to be separated from her.

Each time they parted at the door, Fate would lean near and whisper, "I love you, Nanoha," and those words sustained her, nourished her, and gave her hope.

Finally roundup week arrived and Fate brought her herds in to town for sale. As soon as Fate's business was finished, Nanoha would return with her to Al Hazard. The week was as hectic as it had been the year before, and most of the time Nanoha had to content herself with watching Fate from a distance. The anticipation of seeing her, and knowing that soon she would be with her, always, was sweet in a way she hadn't expected. Now that it was only a matter of days, she could look at her and dream of her touch with delight. When Fate would catch her eye in the crowd or tip her hat across the corral, a soft smile lighting her face, Nanoha's heart would trip over itself.

_Soon_, she would whisper, _soon_.

At last, the waiting was nearly over. The next day was the final day of the auction. Shiro had gone out with Clyde to put the finishing touches on the paper, and Nanoha sat with Momoko on the porch, listening to the far away sounds of cattle and men. Fate was out there somewhere. She closed her eyes, missing her. _Soon_, she thought.

Momoko sighed softly, her eyes on Nanoha's pensive features, mistaking her wistful expression for sadness. "Are you sorry, Nanoha, that we came here?"

"Oh no! I love it here," Nanoha cried, her eyes suddenly alight with the truth of it. "I feel as if this is where I was always meant to be." She glanced at her mother and added slowly, "And if we hadn't come, I would not have found Fate." She saw her mother stiffen slightly, and waited calmly for the words she had been expecting for weeks.

"Are you quite sure about this, Nanoha?" Momoko asked, knowing that there was very little time. She had seen the valises standing packed and ready in Nanoha's room. "Life will not be easy. Not at all what I would have wished for you."

"Tell me, Mother, what is it you would have wished for me?"

Momoko sighed again, searching for dreams long past.

"You are my only child, Nanoha. I wanted everything for you- security, a fine home - the things that would make you happy."

"And love?"

Momoko looked at her closely, then nodded. "Yes, Nanoha. Love, if it were possible."

Nanoha smiled tenderly, her deep sapphire eyes glowing with the vision of Fate. "Will you believe me, then, when I tell you that I will have all of those things, and more, with Fate? She is all I want. All I ever dreamed of."

"You have made your choice, Nanoha," Momoko said quietly. "I know that now. I do not pretend to understand it, but I cannot help but believe you. I have seen her look at you, and you at her. I know what love looks like."

"I hope someday that you will be happy for me," Nanoha replied softly, reaching for her mother's hand. They sat together then, and let peace come.

* * *

Fate answered the knock on her door still toweling the water from her hair. Just an hour before she had finally concluded her business, paid the men their wages, and returned to the hotel to get cleaned up.s

She pulled the door opened and stared. "Nanoha!"

Nanoha smiled delightedly at Fate's astonishment and stepped into the room, pulling the door closed behind her. She untied her bonnet and placed it on the small dresser. She leaned back against the bureau, content now just to look at Fate.

Barefoot, Fate was wearing a clean white cotton shirt and her levis, and her mesmerizing burgundy eyes were already hazy with desire as they met Nanoha's. Nanoha thought she had never seen her look so beautiful.

"I have been waiting patiently all week for you," Nanoha said softly.

Fate's heart was hammering and she was incapable of forming any thoughts beyond wanting Nanoha. It was the first time in five months that they had been alone together. Nanoha looked radiant, a faint flush of happiness coloring her cheeks.

"Nanoha," Fate repeated, whispering now. She moved forward, closing the distance between them, unable to take her eyes from Nanoha's, knowing that her need was plain on her face.

She brought her hands to Nanoha's waist, sighing as Nanoha stepped into her arms.

"Oh lord, I've been wanting you so much for so long," she managed, her voice choking as passion rose within her.

When Nanoha lifted her face, Fate's lips were there. She pulled Nanoha tighter, gasping at the first sweet pressure of Nanoha's breasts against hers. Tenderly at first, with soft caresses and gentle murmurs, they welcomed one another. They trembled together, barely breathing, amazed at finally being able to touch. But it had been too long, and their wanting was too great, to join gently. Fate groaned, suddenly on fire, and her hands came quickly to the ties on Nanoha's dress. She could not bear to lift her lips from Nanoha's, but pulled roughly at the barriers between them as her tongue moved over and into Nanoha's mouth.

Nanoha made small urgent cries in the back of her throat, her fingers on Fate's pants, pulling the buttons free, pushing the material down her hips, desperate for the feel of her.

"Wait, Nanoha!" Fate gasped, finally pulling her head back, shivering with need. "Help me get your clothes off. I can't manage it."

Nanoha laughed, and began to unlace her bodice hurriedly. "You, too."

They watched each other undress, their breath catching in anticipation as each piece of clothing fell to the floor. Fate's fingers fumbled at the buttons on her shirt as she lowered her gaze to Nanoha's breasts, captivated by the faint blush of her skin and the tempting tautness of her nipples. She abandoned her attempts to unbutton her shirt and pulled it off over her head, then hurriedly pushed her levis off. Naked, she stepped forward, intent on feeling Nanoha's breasts in her hands.

Nanoha followed her gaze and laughed.

Stepping around her toward the bed, she said playfully, "Oh no, not yet. If you put your hands on me, it will be over far too soon."

She drew down the covers on the bed and slipped underneath. She delighted in the consternation on Fate's face, reveling in the sweet power she held over her usually confident lover.

"And I have waited far too long for this." She held out her hand, her face glowing, and said softly, "Come love me slowly, Fate Testarossa."

Fate came to her, standing by the side of bed, and whispered shakily, "I want you so badly, it scares me."

"It doesn't frighten me," Nanoha responded thickly, beginning to feel the urgency deep inside herself despite her intentions not to hurry. "You could never frighten me."

Carefully, Fate leaned down, pulling the sheet away from Nanoha's body with one hand. As her lips touched Nanoha's, her fingers brushed lightly down Nanoha's cheek, along her neck to her chest. She ran her palm over Nanoha's breast, swollen now with arousal, and finally caught Nanoha's nipple between her fingers. Nanoha moaned with the swift stab of pleasure, almost a sob, and Fate fought for control. Quickly, she stretched out on top of Nanoha, her thigh sliding insistently between Nanoha's legs, moaning herself as she felt Nanoha's wetness spread over her skin. She braced herself on her arms, looking down into Nanoha's face as she began to move against her, her breath suspended as her blood rose high.

"Next time," Fate gasped, feeling the pressure boiling up within her and the tension rippling down her legs, "next time will be slow. This time, I can't wait."

Nanoha stared up at her, exulting as she watched Fate's face dissolve with need. Her hands clasped Fate's hips and pulled her harder against her thigh, each thrust bringing both of them closer.

"Neither can I," Nanoha murmured, her vision beginning to dim as her muscles vibrated on the verge of exploding. Back arched, desperately trying to contain the uncontainable, heat seared through her. Her will crumbled as a sharp gasp tore from her. "Oh!"

With a strangled groan, Fate's head snapped back, Nanoha's cry pushing her beyond her last vestige of restraint. Her arms trembled, her hips jerked violently, and, finally, she could do nothing but surrender. "Nanoha, oh Nanoha," she sobbed.

As Nanoha came, she wrapped her arms around Fate and clung to her, holding her safe.

* * *

"Nanoha," Fate murmured drowsily.

"Hmm," Nanoha responded, softly stroking Fate's neck and back.

"It's late," Fate said with a sigh, rolling away until she lay on her back next to Nanoha, their fingers still loosely clasped. "You'll need to be getting back."

Nanoha sat up reluctantly, pushing her hair away from her face with both hands. "I know. My mother is expecting me to help her get food ready for the dance." She regarded Fate tenderly, stroking her cheek softly.

"You will be there, won't you?"

Fate smiled. "That's where you're going to be, isn't it?"

* * *

Nanoha smiled at the wrangler who stood patiently waiting for her to fill his plate with chicken and potatoes. She had been so busy with the endless stream of people at the food tables, she had barely had a chance to search for Fate. Thankfully, the musicians had begun to play, and people were moving away to dance. She wiped her hands on a towel and made her way through the crowds out onto the back porch of the meetinghouse for some respite.

The nights were still cool, but she welcomed the crisp refreshing air. She gazed up at the dark night sky, punctuated by bright stars, and thought that at this time the next night, she would be standing on the porch of her new home.

She heard the jingle of spurs behind her, but she did not turn. She smiled to herself, savoring the memory of the first time she had seen Fate and heard the jingle of her spurs.

"What are you thinking?" Fate asked softly as she stepped up behind Nanoha and rested her hands lightly on Nanoha's shoulders.

"Of going home with you," Nanoha said with a smile, settling back into Fate's embrace.

Fate brushed a kiss into Nanoha's hair. "Are you happy?"

Nanoha turned in the circle of Fate's arms and smiled up at her. She lifted her hands and clasped them loosely behind Fate's neck.

"There's no word for what I am," she whispered. "I am loved. I love. I have everything I have ever wanted."

"So do I," Fate said, kissing her gently.

There in the moonlight, with music whispering on the wind, they danced.

* * *

A/N: And that's the end of Innocent Hearts. This story always touches my heart XD. I'm thinking of publishing the sequel of the story here in fanfiction, but I'll have you decide whether I should do that or not, since it's also another work of Radclyffe.

Also, do take some time and read kamert's adaption of "Safe Harbor". The original is written by Radclyffe. Like all of Radclyffe's work, it's a very good novel.

Thank you all for reading and I hope you'll take some time and read more of Radclyffe's novel. You can find the list in her website.


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